


Devious Smiles

by ratbtch



Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, New Dangan Ronpa V3: Everyone's New Semester of Killing
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - High School, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Eventual Smut, F/F, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Hurt/Violence, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, Implied/Referenced Suicide, Jealousy, Love Triangles, M/M, Major Character Injury, Multi, Obsessive Behavior, Panic Attacks, Platonic Cuddling, Pre-Game Personalities (New Dangan Ronpa V3), Smut, Stalker Rantaro Amami, Suggestive Themes, Unhealthy Coping Mechanisms, Unrequited Love, Yandere Saihara Shuichi, oof this is going to be a lot
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-24
Updated: 2020-04-21
Packaged: 2021-02-28 18:41:20
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 9
Words: 27,632
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23291863
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ratbtch/pseuds/ratbtch
Summary: Imagine if the 53rd Danganronpa Killing Game was a simulation. Now 15 students have to deal with unforgettable trauma, but one has it so much worse than the rest. Kokichi Ouma. The lying, manipulative, supreme leader has to deal with the harsh facts of reality, and that everything he knew may be a fabricated lie. How much was a lie, and how much will change after the killing game?
Relationships: Akamatsu Kaede/Iruma Miu, Amami Rantaro/Oma Kokichi, Chabashira Tenko/Yumeno Himiko, Harukawa Maki/Momota Kaito, K1-B0 & Oma Kokichi, Minor or Background Relationship(s), Oma Kokichi/Saihara Shuichi
Comments: 33
Kudos: 286





	1. Back To Reality

**Author's Note:**

> a lot of this is going to be in Kokichi's pov, with a bit of Shuichi and Rantaro as well. this story is pretty much Kokichi suffering and being kind of a bitch, so usual crap. Also sorry if the first few chapters are a bit boring.

Numb. Everything was cold. It hurt to breathe. What happened? The last thing he remembers is being crushed, literally. He felt his body flatten, seeing his life before him, and now his body was numb. Is this what death felt like? Being stuck in a pod, unable to move. His body ached, it was numb. Everything was so numb. Did he fail? Did they get the mastermind? That’s all he wanted in the end. He didn’t want so many people to die. 

Sudden gears turning, air filling his lungs as the gears stop. Eyes had refused to open, scared to find out where he was. He heard rustling close to him, but it may just be his mind. Breathing swiftly, trying to keep his mind calm, but he couldn’t. He couldn’t understand what was happening, he should be dead, right? Eyes fly open, purple eyes darting around the room as panic filled his body. He was in some sort of room, wires on the ceiling, laying in a pod. Reaching up, he touched his face, his hands not phasing through, so he wasn’t dead. Breathing picking up the pace as he sat up as fast a bullet, hands shaking. Looking around, he saw other open pods, what is this? 

All he could hear was his own breathing, his chest rising up and down. This was all too confusing, this was fake right. But then suddenly, he noticed someone run past him, noticing the blond hair right away. His eyes went wide. Kaede…? His lips part to speak, yet nothing comes out. He needed to get out of this pod. 

Pushing himself up, he stepped out of the green-tinted pod. Suddenly, everything was clear. Looking at the computer screens on the wall, the wires, the 16 pods, he was smart, he was able to put things together. 

“It was a simulation.” This is whispered from his lips, everything comes to mind. It made everything seem much more fluid now. Why didn’t he draw this conclusion in the game? It was so obvious. He cursed himself out for this, being a complete idiot. 

Looking around, his eyes went wide at seeing everyone in the game, again. It somewhat hurt to see them, remembering how they died, all the blood. It made him sick. But something hurt more. Everyone went into their own groups to cry, hugging each other. Himiko, Tenko and Angie were hugging, Korekiyo was comforting Gonta… Oh… Gonta. Sudden guilt set into his stomach, realizing what he had done to him, what he had said about him after he died. Well, seemingly died. Kokichi may have lied in the game, but in reality, he did care about the big idiot, and immense guilt set into his stomach. 

Looking around a bit more, he saw Miu and Kiibo, except he wasn’t a robot, he looked like a student like the rest of them. Looking down at his sleeves, he noticed he wasn’t wearing his supreme leader uniform, instead wearing a basic school uniform. Wait. If the whole game was a simulation, who’s saying their personalities weren’t completely fabricated into something different. Was everything he knew a lie? Was DICE a lie? It couldn’t be!

Gulping down his feelings, he continued to look around, trying to stay calm. He saw Kirumi in tears, apologizing to Ryoma over and over again, pleading for forgiveness, saying she was doing what she had too. That interaction ended in them hugging, which caused Kokichi to smile slightly. He then saw Maki and Kaito hugging, Maki in tears claiming that she couldn’t save him, Kokichi sighed.  _ Of course, they’d only mourn him, after all, you’re hated.  _

He felt Maki look at him for a moment, before glancing away again and focusing on Kaito once more. Why would she look at him? It was weird. Looking away, he noticed Shuichi and Kaede hugging, crying with joy when seeing each other. Of course, they were in love before she died, or at least, that’s what he thought at least. Rantaro joined the other two, Kaede sobbing while hugging those two. Everyone seemed to fit so perfectly together when hugging, all so happy to see each other again. One thing was missing, Tsumugi wasn’t here. So Kokichi’s suspicions were right, she was the mastermind, a plain girl like her really had a lot to hide. He could commend her for her lying. 

And then there was Kokichi, alone. No one to hug. The idea of someone coming close to him anyways made him sick, feeling as if he was going to be crushed. Just remembering it made his stomach turn. Shivering at the thought, he stood off to the side, trying to take in the surroundings a bit more. He walked past the crying groups of people, not even shedding a tear, despite needing to cry his eyes out. He couldn’t muster up the courage to cry, he’d rather mask his feelings. Lie about them. He felt a few pairs of eyes on him, but he ignored them. Walking up to one of the screens, he ran his finger over it, suddenly, a monitor turning on. And they were greeted by a blond girl in pigtails, she seemed to be more of a simulation as well. 

After she explained that the whole 53rd killing game was a simulation for ratings, he couldn’t help but notice everyone’s expression turned sick. He isn’t surprised by this, but he couldn’t stop himself from being a little pale as well. It was all too confusing, but the next sentence is what sent chills down his spine. 

“Well! Now that you guys have finished the killing game, we have to send you back to your normal school lives! Hopefully, you guys can adjust, and if not, too bad!” 

With that, the monitor shut off, and suddenly there was a door that slid open, revealing a bright light. The group wasn’t done hugging and crying, which made Kokichi sigh. After this horrible experience, he’d have to go back to school with these people? Guilt only continued to grow. Maybe he could go back to his old life, shying away from people, maybe DICE was still together. They wouldn’t want a coward as him to be a leader.

Kokichi walked ahead of the group, deciding that he was not welcome here. Walking out the door, he heard footsteps catch up behind, placing a hand on his shoulder. Just the touch caused him to freeze in place, remembering the feeling of the press crushing him, blood spewing out of him. It felt so real. His breathing picked up the pace, Kokichi clenching his fists for a moment. 

“Kokichi! I’m glad I get to see you again!” It was Kaede, causing Kokichi to be a bit at ease. She was the true genuine one, she only had the best interests at heart, but that didn’t change the fact that she was a killer. He pulled away from her touch, a bit of fear on his face, before flashing a smile. 

“Kaede, Hi!” Kokichi was still the liar from the killing game, nothing has changed, except well, experiencing death first hand. Beside her on either side stood Rantaro and Shuichi, who both looked shaken up beside their wildest belief. She smiled sweetly, she was really able to brighten up a room. It was weird, but Kokichi could see the regret in her eyes. 

“So Kaede must suck knowing you’re a killer. Even if in the end it was fake.” She frowned, earning a sigh from Shuichi. Why did he even say that!? How could he be so insensitive? He was hiding the fact he was suffering, he had been suffering all his life, one brush with death won’t do much difference, at least that’s how he saw it. 

“Actually, turns out I didn’t kill Rantaro…” She hesitated, causing a brow to raise from Kokichi. What was she talking about? “Tsumugi killed him… which means I died for nothing.” Kokichi felt a ping of pity in his heart, his face shifting to a frown for a moment. Even he had feelings, and the three noticed. 

“But it’s okay because turns out it was all a lie! And you like lies, so you must be thrilled about this.” Kaede laughed, before noticing Kokichi’s face became more disgusted. He looked away with a sigh, running a hand through his purple locks. 

“I hate lies.” Was all he said, before looking down at the ground. He wanted to cry, he couldn’t get the vision of his death out of his mind. His breathing picked up the pace for a moment before he tried to hide it. Looking up at the three again, he couldn’t help but remember the trials, everyone always teaming up against him.

Kaede’s face shifted to sadness as well, concern spreading against her rosy cheeks. She took a step forward, fear being struck into him,  _ Please don’t crush me!  _ She hastily pulled herself away, Shuichi and Rantaro’s faces also being filled with confusion. Then it clicked with Shuichi, causing his eyes to widen. Shuichi took a step forward, which made Kokichi flinch. 

“Just as I thought. You can remember your death too, can’t you Kokichi?” His question hit daggers into Kokichi’s heart, causing all colour from his face to suddenly fade. He faked a smile, laughing at the other’s question. 

“Oh, Shuichi! You got me all wrong! I remember my death, like everyone else, but I’m unphased by it. It’ll take more than that to rattle up a supreme leader such as myself.” Kokichi laughed confidently before Rantaro spoke up. 

“I get how it feels to be, well, murdered. I’m here if you need to talk.” Rantaro smiled sweetly, but Kokichi just snickered at the other’s kindness. Shaking his head, a sudden sinister look spread across his face. Smirking, he covered his mouth, a cheeky smile indeed. 

“Difference is, I killed myself!” Kokichi sounded so cheery about it, eyes widen with apparent excitement. But the other two didn’t have the same reaction, their eyes widening with confusion. They looked utterly confused, but Shuichi just looked solemn, looking away from the smaller. Kokichi was the master of lying, he could lie even to himself. Kaede parted her lips to speak, but she remained silent for a moment. 

“I’m sorry.” Shuichi suddenly spoke, breaking the moment of silence between the four. Kokichi glanced at the detective, he really had the worst of this out of everyone. At least he didn’t die though, that’s a plus, right? Kokichi swallowed his pride for a moment, only smiling at the other, laughing quietly. Kokichi didn’t understand all too well, now since he died, suddenly Shuichi cared? They all suddenly cared? This was so stupid, Kokichi hated it. 

“It’s okay Shuichi! I know I put you through emotional turmoil.” Laughing, he raised his hand to pat the other on the shoulder, then he pulled away as fast as possible. Even touching other people made him sick, made him feel claustrophobic. He smiled slightly, before glancing at the ground. Kaede and Rantaro still remained silent, unknowing of what to say. Kokichi dropped a bombshell on them, completely surprising them in every way imaginable. It’s one thing to be killed in the killing game, another thing to be a murderer then executed in a killing game. But to create and execute your own murder, then end up surviving and knowing it was all for nothing, it was the hardest thing. 

“If you guys are done giving me fake pity, I’m gonna head home!” Wherever that was at this point. He knew before the killing game he didn’t have any family, DICE being his only family, and well, he didn’t think the game would change anything. He was going to an empty house, where no one cared about his existence. Walking down the stairs, he almost tripped over his bad footing. Turns out being stuck in a pod for who knows how long really does mess with your muscles, it’ll take him a while to get used to walking all over again. 

“Kokichi, wait!” Rantaro called out, causing Kokichi to look back once more, only to see the green-haired male try to keep up with him, clearly, his muscles were shot dead as well. Kokichi raised a brow, tilting his head at the other. Rantaro and Kokichi had built a short connection in the game, so he isn’t too surprised the taller wanted his attention, but why now? When the other stepped beside him, a small smile on his face. 

“I could never imagine what you’ve been through. And I wanted to apologize. I shouldn’t have let myself be killed so early, especially since…” Rantaro sighed, looking away from the smaller. “Especially since I lost the last killing game I was in too.” He sighed, before putting a hand on Kokichi’s shoulder, which caused Kokichi to freeze up once more. Without saying anything, he quickly swatted the hand away, straying away from any type of touch whatsoever. He could only feel the cold, hard, metal press against his body, crushing his bones.  _ Don’t think about it. _

“And I’m sorry for leaving you… and I’m sorry for not rushing up to you first when I woke up.” Rantaro was full of apologies, where Kokichi quickly shushed him, shaking his head. Putting his hands behind his head, he casually walked down the stairs. 

“Don’t worry about it, Rantaro. I don’t hold any resentment.” That was a lie. He held resentment towards everyone in that god damn game. Kokichi was right about everything, about the mastermind, about how to stop the mastermind, about the whole killing game, but everyone called him a liar, pretended to be buddy-buddy when really cold hard truth is what they needed to truly beat the killing game. He was hated by everyone in the game for saying things that needed to be said and now look at them, weeping like children. Even Rantaro had cried, pathetic. Crying over being alive? It didn’t make sense to Kokichi. Maybe he would have rather stayed dead. Not like he had anything in the real world left for him. 

Life, in reality, was just as bad as living in the killing game, except now more people hated him. The killing game was broadcasted, which means everyone saw Kokichi’s pathetic failure, which means everyone would point it out. He was bullied before the killing game, but this was so much worse. Part of him wished his old life was just fabricated by the killing game mastermind, but the other part of him would miss DICE too much if he knew it was faked. It was all too much, Kokichi just wanted to crawl into his bed and cry. 

Everyone was privately driven to their homes, courtesy of the mastermind. Kokichi had bid Rantaro a small goodbye before racing into the car, knowing that he didn’t want to talk to anyone else… he would get enough of that in school. Apparently, because of the killing game, they were all assigned to the same classroom, to make sure they at least felt a bit comfortable, and they were assigned a special teacher just for them. It was to make them feel safe, when in reality it only created a greater bridge between reality and the killing game, being in their own isolated part of the world. 

Sitting in the back of the car, he had the window open. Real wind felt so much nicer, how could he have forgotten such a nicer feeling. He stared at the people outside on the streets, who pointed, stared, and took pictures of him. It made him slink back into the car, closing the window as he hid. He didn’t like all this attention, at least not attention because he died. It felt so weird thinking about it. He died, he remembers dying. He remembered the feeling of his body being crushed, blood splattering everywhere, his face being turned flat. The feeling made him sick, so he opened the car window and gagged, trying to stop himself from completely losing all his guts. 

Finally arriving at his home, a tiny apartment in a run-down apartment complex, rent not needing to be paid because he was chums with the landlady, and she was nice enough to let him stay for free when she learned of his situation. He had no family, no source of income, nothing. The monitor lady did say that they would be transferred tons of money to restart their old lives on a fresh note, so that was nice at least. But he was still alone, and that wouldn’t change no matter how much money he was given. He was alone before the games, he could do it again. 

Slamming the car door shut, he made his way up the stairs to his apartment. Opening it with the key in his pocket, he smirked. So they got his house keys as well? Walking inside the apartment, he sighed. Nothing had changed except for the dust that covered pretty much everything, the small boy sneezing upon entry. Closing the door behind him, the slam of it reminded him of the sound of the press slamming against his body. God, everything reminded him of the games, it was sickening. 

Making his way to his bedroom, he turned on the lights, slumping onto his bed, being engulfed in dirt. He didn’t care at this point, this is what he deserved. Eyes close for a moment, trying to remember life before this. It sucked. He was told to kill himself almost every day, and he was so close to doing so. That’s why at first he thought the killing game would be a good way to reinvent himself, a more, extra version of him. But it didn’t work, everyone hated him just as much. Maybe he’s just hateable. About to fall asleep when he heard a phone buzz, a phone? He didn’t have a phone on him, so he shot up. Looking around his room, he saw one on the nightstand, but it wasn’t his. Picking it up, there was a text message. 

(4:30 pm) Unknown: Hello Killing Game Contestant! I’m pleased to let you know this is your new, state of the art, smartphone, courtesy of Danganronpa. Since we put you through literal hell, we figured money and phones could be a good payment. All of your other members' contacts have already been added to this phone. Enjoy your second chance at life!

He put the phone down, like hell he wanted to text anyone from that game. He wanted to forget the whole thing, but trauma stuck to him like honey or a bad rash. As much as he tried to get rid of it, each time it would come back stronger and stickier than the time before. Sitting on the edge of his bed, he curled over, pressing his palms against his closed eyes, breathing heavily. Everything around him was too much. Not even a day ago he was in a killing game, determining his own death, being shot by Maki. Now he was home again, a place he never thought he’d be, a place he never wanted to be again. Back in the real world, with no friends, no family, no nothing. He’d rather die.

He couldn’t really sleep that night, every time his eyes closed, he felt like he was being crushed. They had the weekend to recuperate all their bearings, get used to the outside world again, etc, but a weekend didn’t seem like enough. He needed a month, a year, a lifetime. Tossing and turning his bed, he grew restless. Sitting up crossed-legged in bed, he sighed, keeping his head hung low. Despite the comfortable sheets, the warming blanket, the soft pillows, none of this felt right. He could recall the first day in the killing game, not being able to sleep because of the discomfort. He had gotten used to the beds in the game, and now his own bed didn’t feel like home anymore. Nothing around here felt like home anymore. 

Throwing his legs over the side of his bed, he made his way to the tiny living room, which was connected to the kitchen, and sat on the small couch, barely enough room for two people. That’s fine, after all, he lived alone.

Living alone had its perks, he could do whatever he wanted, he could walk around naked, eat what he wanted, sleep when he wanted, but… it was lonely. Nothing could fill the loneliness that replaced where his heart used to be, maybe that’s why he was the way he is. He can’t remember a time where he wasn’t lying, but he also couldn’t remember a time he wasn’t truly alone. His heart had been ripped out of him, torn to shreds, and now, just emptiness remained. It was better this way, he doesn’t have to worry about getting close to anyone. 

The one time he did get close to people was in the killing game, he was close to Rantaro and Shuichi, and they both ripped out his heart over and over again. Rantaro died, leaving him behind to be hated. And Shuichi never trusted him, not that Kokichi could blame him, he was never not telling a lie. But Shuichi probably didn’t even care that Kokichi died, died for him… so that he could live. He only trusted Shuichi, and Shuichi didn’t feel the same. So he’s never getting close to anyone again, he had no heart left to give to people. 

Turning on the small t.v, he leaned forward. If he can’t sleep, he might as well numb his brain with pointless news. Scrolling through channels, he stopped when he heard the name Danganronpa. Stopping, his eyes glued to the screen. Why were they reporting about it? The newscaster began to talk about how the game had ended, and how all of the students were being sent back to school. The lady then began to say take caution around them, since being in the game may cause erratic activity. Great. If they weren’t already pinned as freaks, now they were pinned as dangerous people. This was so shitty. 

Suddenly, a buzz from his phone in the other room, Kokichi standing to check it. It was probably from the mastermind again, giving them more information. When he picked it up, he saw it wasn’t from the Danganronpa team, no instead, it was someone he hadn’t ever expected to reach out to him. 

(2:06 am) Saihara: Hey Kokichi, I saw that everyone’s contacts were already put onto this phone and I wanted to reach out to you.

(2:06 am) Saihara: You had it worse than anyone else in the game, I’m sorry for how I treated you.

How blunt from the other, Kokichi didn’t even bother to respond. He read it and put his phone into his pocket. He dragged himself to the couch again, laying on the couch, watching the news. He was so tired, he wanted to sleep, but he couldn’t. He watched the news until the sun rose, light peeking in through the window. Kokichi yawned at the sun shining on his face, sitting up from laying on the couch. Looking at the news, he realized they were talking about some article he didn’t care about. He must’ve dozed off for a few moments without realizing, at least he got a wink of sleep. 

Shakily standing, exhaustion hitting him like a wave, almost making him fall over. His muscles sort of hurt, it would take a while for him to get used to all of this. Walking to the fridge, it occurred in his mind that he would have no food in there whatsoever. He was gone for who knows how long, of course, he wouldn’t have any food. But he did remember the monitor lady saying they would give them money for the next month to get them back on their feet, Kokichi might as well take advantage of this. Grinning, he checked his balance on his phone, realizing he had enough money for at least 2 weeks. Kokichi was going to waste it so he could get more. No set budget meant new food, new clothes, new everything. But before any of this, getting food now. He was starving, which was rare because he rarely ate. 

Walking to his bedroom, he changed out of his uniform, putting on clothes that he had before the killing game, they were all pretty basic. A black long sleeve, a pair of black cargo pants, then a white hoodie over the shirt. He slipped on his shoes quickly, shoving his phone into his pocket. As much as he wanted to be isolated, he felt he was suffocating. That’s the last feeling he wanted, to feel suffocated, to feel like the walls were closing in on him, crushing him. God not again. Tears pricked his eyes, he had yet to cry since the game ended, everyone had gotten it out of their systems, but he was going to keep it inside, let it fester. 

Shoving his phone into his pocket, he opened the door, the fresh air greeting his face. It felt so nice. Taking in a deep breath, he made his way down the stairs. He knew people would stare at him, but he would try to ignore it. The need for food and coffee was much stronger than any of their stares. He was used to people staring at him all his life, now wouldn’t be any different. Taking in a deep breath, he tried to get used to everything again. 

Real life was much more difficult than the Killing game, and he was unsure if he could adjust.


	2. A Theory

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> okaaaaaaay so this chapter may be a bit confusing so i hope y'all understand where i'm comin' from while u read it.

Sitting in a fast-food restaurant, shoving a burger into his mouth as he nursed his Fanta… not panta. Even that was a lie. At least it was still grape flavoured, and it tasted the same. So by his standards, it was panta, and he was going to call it that even if it was wrong. Maybe if he was lucky, it would annoy people. Sitting in the back of the restaurant, avoiding any stares sent his way. He knew logically, the stares would end in about a month, people going back to their everyday lives. But, his thoughts about death wouldn’t end in about a month, they wouldn’t fade. 

Staring at his purple drink, he stirred it calmly. There were bags under his eyes, he looked like a wreck. His mind couldn’t think of anything else than the game, what could he have done differently? He could’ve saved everyone if he was smarter, but he wasn’t. He felt horrible for everyone being subjected to such, and he knew first hand how hard it was. At least his death was the last, well his and Kaito's. Then there was Kaito, he felt bad for forcing him into his murder plans, but it couldn’t be done without him. His mind was spinning, and the only thing to silence it was him slamming his head against the table, closing his eyes in frustration. 

“Well, you seem just peachy.” That voice was familiar, glancing up he saw Rantaro smiling down at him. He also looked like he hadn’t slept, bags under his eyes, hair messy, overall, like a disaster. Kokichi forced a smile, beaming up with excitement. He wasn’t too excited to see Rantaro, seeing him just gave him flashbacks of his dead body, blood everywhere. Rantaro sat across from Kokichi, taking a sip of his own drink. Kokichi laughed, covering his mouth as he did so. 

“Yes! Rantaro! I’m beyond peachy, I slept like a baby yesterday. Like I was dead.” Kokichi giggled, cursing himself out at his own joke. Though Kokichi was laughing, smiling, appearing to be his best self, he looked horrible. Rantaro laughed, before looking Kokichi directly in the eyes. His glare sent shivers down Kokichi’s spine, causing a nervous chuckle to escape his chapped lips. 

“You don’t need to lie to me Kokichi, it’s quite obvious you didn’t sleep.” Rantaro pointed out, making Kokichi sigh, breaking eye contact by staring at his drink. Rantaro was always quite perceptive, he could see through Kokichi’s lies and smiles. It was both endearing and annoying, Kokichi couldn’t get away with anything he wanted. Sighing at the other’s response, he broke his charade, his face returning to a blank, tired look. Rantaro looked confused, right, he’s never seen Kokichi not smiling or lying. This was a new experience for both of them. 

“How would I be able to sleep after that? I was crushed after all, everything feels so suffocating.” Kokichi laughed lightly, before shoving his burger into his mouth, talking with his mouth full. Rantaro sighed, sipping his drink with a small shrug. Kokichi was amazed at how Rantaro seemed so calm, it must be the sleep deprivation. 

“Ah, I see. I’m sorry you went through that.”

“I didn’t ask for your pity.” Kokichi suddenly had a deadpan look, glare in his purple eyes. Rantaro seemed a little taken back. Kokichi then forced a smile, sipping his drink with a sassy wink, how good he was at lying was astonishing. 

“Just kidding!” Rantaro let out a sigh of relief, his face flashing with sudden calmness. Kokichi laughed, realizing his drink was now done. Now, he could go through the crowd of stares to get a refill from the lady at the counter who gave him a concerned stare, or he could just stay parched. He chose the latter, placing his cup on his tray with the box that held his burger. 

“What about you, Rantaro? Did you too not get a single sliver of sleep? How sad!” Kokichi cooed, causing Rantaro to glance away with a soft breath. He looked so put together despite everything that had happened, but then he smiled sweetly. 

“You could say that. I didn’t sleep not only because I couldn’t though, I was dead tired when I got home-” He grinned slightly at his own joke, which caused Kokichi to raise a brow. So even in stressful situations, Rantaro could still joke around. That’s good. Kokichi couldn’t handle it if everyone was so downcast, too much emotion would bring out his soulless heart, and that’s the last thing he wanted. He was tired of wearing his heart on his sleeve. “-It was more, my family wouldn’t let me sleep, they were all too concerned. Having as many family members as I do, I was somewhat bombarded with questions. They were also telling me that they were buying me the best therapist money could buy just so I can get stuff off my chest and such.” 

Kokichi automatically felt a pang of jealousy run through his veins, but he didn’t let it show. He faked his smile, pretending to listen intently. Inside, he felt like crumbling. He wished he had a caring family, people who would throw thousands of money into therapy for him, not that it would help. He had no family, DICE was his only family, and that may have all been faked. Kokichi then realized something, tapping his chin with his fingers.

“Did your family live up to your exact memories?” Kokichi suddenly asked eyes narrowed on Rantaro. Rantaro was confused, to say the least, his head tilting before something clicked, he was finally understanding. His eyes went wide, before leaning close to Kokichi, forearms on the gross table. The idea of touching the table made Kokichi feel sick, weird, it never used to make him sick… at least that’s how he remembered it. 

“Well, no. I remember having 12 sisters, but… When I asked my parents they said I only had 5. They also said I was acting differently, which is strange because I don’t remember acting any differently. What are you getting at, Kokichi?” Rantaro explained, a sigh coming from his lips. Scratching the back of his head, Kokichi could tell the other was confused. Well, not everyone was as smart as the supreme leader himself. 

“That’s what I thought! Not everyone is as smart as me, so of course, you wouldn’t understand! You better be prepared, because what I’m about you is going to blow your mind! Completely shift your whole perspective on life!” Kokichi was building the suspense on purpose, which earned a real laugh from Rantaro. It was nice he could make the other laugh even during this horrid situation. 

“Get on with it, Kokichi.”

“Okay, okay! Since you’re so eager to know. I believe that the Danganronpa team did not only put us in a killing game, but they manipulated our memories and personalities. If your parents are really right about you acting differently than before you were taken, well then, it just proves my theory even more. But, the real question is how they changed our personalities, and if our old selves will slowly come back.” Kokichi looked at Rantaro right in the eyes, a smirk on his face. Rantaro’s face flashed with confusion before he smiled slightly.

“That’s quite a far-fetched theory Kokichi and very flimsy evidence.” Rantaro teased, before leaning a bit closer as if to show interest. Kokichi grinned, wicked and large, excitement filling his body. This is the first time since the killing game he felt okay for a moment. 

“So are you saying you don’t believe me?” 

“I didn’t say that I’d say let’s do a bit more research before we jump to any conclusions.” He took a sip of his drink, smirking as he did so. It was nice to know the two were on the same page. Kokichi knew his theory was flawed, but it’s as plausible as the whole killing game in the first place. Being able to create such technology to completely create a simulated killing game, along with actual touch sensory without frying someone's brain, it was something a bit far-fetched as well. The whole thing was very suspicious, and was no one going to talk about how the 16, well, 15, were just kidnapped? 

The two of them left together, and something raised more suspicion in Kokichi's mind. How did he know Kokichi was there? It was probably a coincidence, but it lingered in his mind as something else. But it fell to the back of his head, thinking of something else instead, he even vocalized his thoughts. 

“What do you think their old personalities are like?” But Kokichi was asking for himself more than anything else, what was he like back before the killing game? Was he really all that different? But then he remembered something else. If everyone’s past was truly fabricated as he thought, that means DICE might be fabricated as well. They couldn’t be, right? It hurt to think about his only family could be a lie.

“Hm… well, I do think that their personalities may be slightly altered, but I don’t think even the Danganronpa team has that type of technology.” Rantaro made a good point, but Kokichi couldn’t help but not agree with that, though he didn’t say this out loud. Instead, he hummed a response, shoving his hands in his pockets. 

“Hopefully our personalities won’t revert to the old ones, it’d be weird seeing their faces with different personalities.” Rantaro pointed out. He was right, seeing their faces not match their identities would make Kokichi feel weird, but who said their personalities were so far off from their personalities now? Maybe Kokichi was wrong, he hoped and prayed he was wrong. But everything was pointing to this, maybe he should ask Shuichi for help, he was a detective after all. Or, were their talents also lies? He hated all of this. 

“Well, I don’t care either way! After all, they didn’t even like me, so new personalities wouldn’t affect me.” Kokichi lied, a laugh to follow as he rounded the corner. Seeing his apartment complex in the distance, he sighed. This is where Rantaro found out where he lived, but he didn’t need to know everything. Stopping at the steps to his second-floor apartment, he put his hands on his hips. 

“Thank you for the walk home, Rantaro! But I’m afraid this is where I leave. Mom is waiting inside for me, she’s probably worried sick.” He lied once more, taking a step back from the other. As if he had a mom, one thing he knew for certain was he had no family. He was an orphan until 15, then he knew he wasn’t going to be adopted, he gave up on any hope on that. That’s when he met his landlady, and he was able to leave the orphanage. 

“Oh right! Sorry for keeping you, text me later, okay?” Rantaro was so sweet, so Kokichi just nodded before running up the stairs, and unlocking his apartment door. Slamming it quickly, he locked the door behind him, a sigh escaping his lips. He couldn’t get his mind off the game, the new revelation he had made, how Rantaro seemed different. This was all too confusing. Sitting on his couch, he pulled out his phone, scrolling mindlessly. Suddenly a text from Shuichi, the detective himself! Just the person he wanted to talk too, not. But now that he thinks about it, he should tell Shuichi about his new discovery. Or maybe not?

(3:09pm) Saihara: Hey Kokichi, are you okay? I just wanted to make sure you’re okay after this whole ordeal.

How sweet of him, a small smile tugged at the leader’s face. 

(3:10pm) Ouma: Aw! You care about me, that’s so cute! I’m perfectly fine, don’t worry about me.

It was much easier to lie over text than face to face, even though Kokichi had no tells, somehow Rantaro could read him with ease. It was all too confusing, but lying over text meant he could giggle, smile, and lie as much as he wanted. 

(3:10pm) Saihara: Of course I care about you, you’re my friend.  
(3:11pm) Ouma: Oh now you call me your friend. You didn’t think I was your friend before I died.

There was silence from the detective, good job idiot, you pushed away one of the only people you could trust. Sighing, he was about to shove his phone back into his pocket when it buzzed once more. Maybe he didn’t sabotage himself after all.

(3:14pm) Saihara: I’m so sorry that I wasn’t nicer to you, I feel so guilty. I wouldn’t be surprised if you hated me forever.

Well, now he felt bad. 

(3:15pm) Ouma: Don’t worry, Shuichi! I could never hate you.

And for once, he was telling the truth. Despite how much Shuichi hated him, Kokichi couldn’t bring himself to hate Shuichi. There was something about him that was so endearing, it was the same feeling he felt towards Rantaro. He never had a close relationship with anyone, except for DICE, so he assumed it’s just a family-like feeling. A feeling that he hadn’t felt in such a long time. After a bit more texting back and forth, Kokichi opened up about his theory, saying how their memories were completely altered, their personalities shifting, and that everything could be a lie. Shuichi surprisingly agreed, which took Kokichi by surprise. But then, the other provided rock-solid proof. 

(3:56 pm) Saihara: That makes sense. In the game, Tsumugi showed us videos of our “audition” tapes for Danganronpa. I was completely different in the tape, so was Kaede and Kaito. At first, I thought it was fake, but when I came home, my mother told me I was acting completely different. And along with that… I remember having a father, yet when I asked my mom, she said he hasn’t been with us since I was a baby. Plus, Kaede has been acting a little strange. I visited her today and she was acting a bit meaner, like how she acted in the tapes. With all that, I can conclude that your theory is right. 

Leave it to Shuichi to do enough digging to prove his theory 100%, but now there was another pressing issue. What were their personalities like before the games? What did he act like?

(3:58 pm) Ouma: Do you think our ‘old’ personalities will come back?

Shuichi’s next response is what caused a brow to rise, confusion filling his tiny body. 

(4:00 pm) Saihara: I hope not.

What was that supposed to mean? Did Shuichi not want his personality back? He did get to see a bit of his old personality when he was in the game, did he not like what he saw? How bad could it be? Nothing could compare to Kokichi’s horrible personality, why would they give him this personality just so everyone could hate him? It was unfair. Maybe if he was his old self, he wouldn’t have been hated. Life was truly unfair.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> pretty much throughout the fanfic, their in-game and pre-game personalities are going to merge together to create their new personalities, but they will mainly be influenced by pre-game personalities. so ig get ready for weird saihara and stalker rantaro lol


	3. Obsession

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> NICE SOME SHUICHI ACTION IM HYPED

Oh god. The first day back at school since the 15 students were all put through hell, and only one question ran through the leader’s mind. Where and who was Tsumugi Shirogane? Was she too just shoved into the killing game and given the personality of the mastermind, or did she truly throw herself in because she knew she wasn’t in any real danger? The latter seemed much more plausible, and it made much more sense. Why would the mastermind put themselves in the killing game if they were also at risk of being killed? It wasn’t logical.

Walking through the halls with his hands shoved into his stuffy uniform, he sighed, trying to ignore all the stares. He had concluded one thing. These stares were not out of concern, or fear, they were stares of envy and admiration. It was quite clear how disgustingly sick this world was, he sort of wished he was back in the killing game. Everyone enjoyed watching children kill each other, they called it fun! It was sickening, to say the least. He had even been asked by a few fangirls to take pictures with him, where he promptly accepted. He was never fawned over like this, he was going to milk it for every last drop. 

A sigh as he entered the class, not fully prepared to see all the people who hated him in class again. To his surprise, he was the first one there. Guess many people didn’t have the same idea as he did, which was come in bright and early on the first day, then never show up again! That way he could feel out what the class was like, then not give a shit for the rest of the year. 

Scooping out the class for the best seat, he decided to take the average anime protagonist role, and sit in the back of the class beside the window. That way, if he did come to class, he could space out by looking at all the teens that didn’t have to experience death first hand. The teacher wasn’t even here yet, how much he wanted to bet that this was all an elaborate dream and he was truly in hell, truly dead. God he wished. 

Sitting in his seat, he placed his bag beside him, nothing really important in there. And he took his official stance as anime protagonist, his chin resting upon his hand as he looked out the window in a poetic fashion. Except he couldn’t think of anything else except his upcoming fellow classmates. How different will they be? Will they even be different? How far off were their original personalities to their personalities now? Or will it become some sort of weird mixture of a new personality? He believed in people being able to change but on their own terms. 

As students began to pour in, he didn’t look up from the view outside the window. He knew what they all looked like, so he didn’t really need to greet them. No one really made an effort to talk to Kokichi, he could feel their eyes on him, it was unsettling. Their eyes were sympathetic, but he didn’t want it. They were all monsters one way or another. Hell, a few of these students really had the balls to murder others, is that isn’t sinister what is. 

Speaking of murderers, he heard the squeak of the chair beside him, dragging on the cold, hardwood, as the chair was pulled out. Who was sitting beside him? Could someone truly stomach sitting beside the liar who did nothing but make the game worse? It was surprising, to say the least. But when he turned his head, he was greeted with a sophisticated smile. Oh! He wasn’t too upset about her sitting beside him. At least it wasn’t Maki, she probably hated him most. 

“Hey, Mom!” Kokichi teased, a huge smile across his face. She sat calmly, before staring at Kokichi with a small smile. She seemed less stern than normal, maybe her personality was already shifting. A soft sigh escaped her lips before she pulled out her notebooks. 

“Hello, Kokichi. Like I’ve said before, don’t call me that.” Ah, there she was! Kokichi’s typical motherly figure he knew and loved. In the game, she was one of the only people who showed genuine care, not just because they had too, or because they were being fake. He laughed quietly, covering his mouth as he did so. That’s weird, he never used to cover his mouth when he laughed, but he felt somewhat insecure about it now. Though he wouldn’t say that out loud. 

“Are you sure you want to be sitting beside me? After all, I don’t have the best reputation.” Kokichi pointed out, his smirk still apparent nonetheless. She looked at him with a gentle stare, but beyond it was a stern look. Regret lingered in her expression before she clenched her fists. She didn’t normally do that, did she? She took in a deep breath to keep herself calm, maybe an old memory just came into her mind. Her death was gruesome, he wouldn’t be surprised if she had a lot buried in her mind. She got to cry it out at least. 

“None of us have a good reputation, Kokichi. Least of all me, I am a murderer after all, and so are four other people in this room.” She did make a good point. On accident or otherwise, four other murderers in this room truly had the balls to get what they wanted. It was a bit scary, but he masked the feeling quite well. He only nodded in response, before looking out the window once more. Kirumi said one thing that caused his brows to raise, making him really realize what this all was. 

“Reputation aside. I think everyone is using this as a second start, reflect on what they did wrong and become better. And I truly believe you should do the same thing.”

A second start to make friends again? To have people care about him. He couldn’t. He wasn’t going to change who he was for anyone to like him, he was perfectly content with a target on his back. If he was fine with that in a world where killing was encouraged, he was more than fine with it now, where people actually get arrested for the murders they commit. A sigh escaped his lips, glancing at the students who were starting up soccer practice. He was envious, he wished he could have a normal high school career. But it's far too late for that. 

Soon every student was in the class, and Kokichi examined every student's location in class, the seating chart to be exact. There were 16 desks set in a 4 by 4 spread, each desk filled by a student except for one, he assumed that desk was supposed to be Tsumugi’s, but of course, she wasn’t here. He made a mental note of where everyone sat. 

In the front row, closest to the window was Kiibo, to the right of him, Himiko, beside her was Tenko, then beside her was Miu. The second row, closest to the window was Angie, beside her was Kaito, and beside Kaito was, of course, Maki, they’re pretty much inseparable, even in real life. Beside Maki sat Korekiyo, and Kokichi couldn’t help but notice that he had a mask to cover his mouth, some habits always stay the same. In the third row, Ryoma sat closest to the window, beside him Shuichi, then Kaede, then beside Kaede sat Gonta. The last row seemed the most, odd. Kokichi sat closest to the window, beside him was Kirumi, beside Kirumi was Rantaro, then finally an empty seat beside him where he assumed Tsumugi would be sitting if she ever showed up. 

Turning back to the window, he listened half-heartedly as the teacher instructed the class on what this class was going to be about. They were joining about a month already into the year, so they were a bit behind on the curriculum, so they’d have to cram on that. The teacher also said that the school was offering free therapy sessions with the school guidance counsellors, but Kokichi knew that would be the worst. School guidance counsellors didn’t know how to even do their jobs right. Lastly, the teacher had said that this class would help the students get used to society again, claiming that some things may have changed since they were in the game. The teacher seemed nice enough, she was overly sweet and cheery and seemed ready to even give her own therapy to children if needed. It’s better than a teacher who didn’t give a shit. 

Jumping right into the lesson, Kokichi began to space out while looking out the window. She did say the class would need to cram to keep up, but he didn’t think right away. They started off with math, which was one of his easier subjects. Who is he kidding? Everything was his easy subject. He was one of those annoyingly gifted kids who didn’t need to study nor take notes to pass with straight A’s, maybe that’s why he was bullied so often. The soft sound of pencils and pens on paper filled the room, the teacher lecturing for way too long. But soon class was over, they were free to go home if they wished, or stay after class for extra help. 

He left class with Kirumi, making his way down the halls to the staircase, wanting to go without stares on him for just once. But alas, this was a dream that he couldn’t quite meet. Walking quickly, the two were stopped by two girls, probably in a grade younger than them. Kirumi remained sophisticated, posture straight, well put together despite being in a typical school uniform, Kokichi, on the other hand, looked caught off guard. 

“Can we take a picture with you two? We loved this season of Danganronpa! And your deaths were the most entertaining.” 

Kokichi froze at the strangers' words, his death was… entertaining? He didn’t know how to respond, flashing a lying smile instead. He needed to mask how he felt, which was devastated. Was his horrible, traumatic, incident, really entertaining to this sick world. He parted his mouth to speak, but before he had a chance to even let a peep out, Kirumi had taken a step forward, fists clenched out of anger, a deathly glare in her eyes. It was scary, she was never like this.

“If you two don’t leave now, I’ll make sure I’ll end you just like I ended  _ him. _ ” She was clearly referring to how she killed Ryoma, staring down at the two girls with rage in her voice. Her voice was stern but violent. She wasn’t like this, maybe her personality was reverting back to its old self? The two girls muttered an apology, before running away as fast as they could. Kokichi would be impressed if it wasn’t for the fact that his theory was proving itself right. Looking at Kirumi, he was going to speak when she suddenly brushed off her skirt, before smiling down at Kokichi with her normal motherly smile. 

“Sorry about that Kokichi, I’m not too sure what came over me.”

“I know what did.” Kokichi couldn’t help but mutter, but luckily Kirumi didn’t hear him, instead, they just continued to walk, pretending that didn’t just happen. As they exited the school, he heard someone call after him, a familiar voice. A peppy, happy voice, despite what she’s been through. 

“Kokichi, Kirumi! Wait up!” Kaede had called over the two, Shuichi following close behind. Stopping, the two ran up to him, a smile on Kaede’s face and Shuichi’s normal, nervous, expression. But something seemed off about the detective, but he wouldn’t point it out. The four of them decided to walk together on their way home, and for once, it felt normal. It felt like a normal day at school, and now he was going home with his friends, god how much he wished this was real. That he actually had friends that loved him and wanted him. Kokichi remained silent as the other three began to talk, hands shoved into his pockets. 

“So Kirumi, what did your parents say when you got home?” Shuichi had asked before looking at Kokichi, causing a brow to rise in confusion. Then it clicked, Shuichi was trying to see if Kokichi’s theory was correct. How kind of the detective. 

“Well, they offered therapy for me if I needed it. But I told them that I’d be fine without it.” She simply stated, looking down at the ground for a moment. Kaede was about to speak when Shuichi suddenly interrupted her with yet another question. Kokichi noticed a slightly irritated look on Kaede’s face, although she never seemed to get too irritated with Shuichi. Everyone was truly going back to their old selves. 

“Did they say anything else?”

“They did say I was acting a bit differently, but I presume it's just the shock of the killing game and such. Why so many questions, Shuichi?” She had asked with a raised brow, which caused the detective to laugh nervously. 

“Oh, no reason! I’m just curious as all. My mom was only in town for a day, then she left again for some overseas trip, so I’m back to living with my uncle. So I guess I’m living vicariously through you.” Shuichi explained, smiling slightly, but it was a sad smile. He had no clue his mom neglected him so much, maybe that’s why she didn’t care when Shuichi was suddenly taken away for the killing game. Or maybe their parents wanted them to be in the killing game?

“Ah, I see. I’m sorry about that Shuichi. I have to get going now, my house is down that way.” Kirumi pointed down the street, the opposite way of where Kokichi was heading. Kaede’s face lit up, before moving to stand beside Kirumi.

“My house is also down that way, so I’ll be going now too. Text ya’ two later.” And with that, the solemn maid and the over-excited piano freak both made their way down the block, leaving Shuichi and Kokichi at the red light. Standing in awkward silence, he felt a weird aura being omitted from the taller. Suddenly, Shuichi spoke, his question making a shiver go down his spine. 

“How did your family react when you got home?” He was quiet, fiddling with his hands, nervous perhaps? He was always more nervous without Kaede around, since in the game before she died, Kaede did most of the talking. But he really broke out of his shell in the game, but maybe his old personality was not as confident. He hoped that wasn’t the case. He liked it when Shuichi finally gained his confidence. 

“Well, it’s just my mom as well. And she was happy of course, tons of hugs and kisses, all the works!” Kokichi lied, a laugh escaping his lips. Rantaro may see through his lies, but the detective may not. Even though he was perspective, he could never tell when Kokichi was lying in the game, so what’s different about the real world? Shuichi let out a small sigh as they crossed the street, refusing to look at Kokichi. He hadn’t looked at Kokichi in the eyes once since they woke up, something was for sure on his mind. 

“Kokichi… Are you lying?” Oh no! He saw right through him, like a window! A chuckle escaped his lips, turning the corner with Shuichi with a sigh. 

“You caught me! My mom didn’t give me  _ tons  _ of hugs and kisses, just about two.” Kokichi smirked, before nudging Shuichi slightly with his shoulder. Just that touch caused Kokichi to seize up, the feeling of contact upon his body made him feel like he was being crushed. He had even stopped in place, eyes going wide as if he could see the metal about to crush him. It was as if he couldn’t move, eyes darting around the area. He couldn’t get a grip between reality and the game, everything merged into one. 

“Kokichi!” A sudden yell finally broke the spell over him, eyes blinking a few times in confusion. He hadn’t even realized what happened, but when he did he just stared at Shuichi, who showed only concern across his face. Kokichi smiled, a lying smile, to try to hide how he was falling apart. 

“Sorry, I was just spacin’ out! I’m all good now.” He laughed, which caused Shuichi’s brows to furrow. 

“You don’t need to lie about being okay. None of us are. You’ll only get better if you let people in.” He was right, Kokichi should start to let people in. He should stop lying, stop pretending he’s fine when clearly he’s ripping from the seams. But he couldn’t. He couldn’t just let people in, it was easier said than done. Kokichi took a sigh, before continuing to walk, leaving Shuichi behind. The taller ran to catch up with him, soon walking side by side again. A moment of silence between the two. Before he knew it, he was at his apartment. Looking at the other, he bit the inside of his lip. Let other people in. 

“I… I don’t have a mom. Or dad. I live alone, I always have.” It was a hard thing to admit, and even harder to take in. Shuichi looked skeptical for a moment, trying to read if Kokichi was lying or not. But then his face twisted with worry when he noticed Kokichi was telling the truth, taking a step forward towards the smaller. Kokichi felt a bit uncomfortable with this whole situation, he didn’t like opening up to people. He much rather lie, so he was about too. 

“Just kidd-”

“You don’t need to lie to me anymore, Kokichi. If you ever need somewhere to stay, or someone to hang out with, please text me! Living alone can be really hard, and I’m here for you. So you don’t need to lie about it anymore.” Shuichi looked so sincere, Kaede had rubbed off on Shuichi too much, he reeked of optimism and helpful energy. Looking at the other, a small, real, smile spread across his pale features. This was the first time he smiled genuinely in such a long time, maybe for the first time ever. The other’s kindness just made his insides feel warm, it was a comforting feeling. 

“Don’t worry Shuichi! I’ll be perfectly fine!” He lied, it came like second nature. With that, Shuichi bid him goodbye, claiming his house was 2 blocks away. It was nice to know both Rantaro and Shuichi lived so close to him. Walking inside, he replayed the conversation in his head. Shuichi actually got the real truth out of Kokichi, not many could do this, not even some of the members of DICE. But he couldn’t help but think Shuichi was acting differently, but he couldn’t place his finger on it. 

His aura screamed obsession. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> am i going to write shuichi as the typical yandere? no. but he's gonna be a bit iffy from time to time so beware of that.


	4. Bland Clothes and Apologies

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Having Shuichi and Rantaro action in the same chapter? unheard of. I'm trying to find a good balance between the two, and tbh i dont even know what relationship this fanfic will end up with. so lmk if y'all got a preference

A loud knock on his door, bright and early in the morning, causing a groan to escape his lips. Who was here so early? It was better than hearing Monokuma over a screen telling him to get up, he may never forget about that either. Pushing himself up from out of bed, feel the bed sink from where he was sitting, before landing on the ground. The hardwood was cold across his feet, causing him to shiver at the sensation before he quickly got used to it. He didn’t have heating in his apartment, one thing he couldn’t quite afford. Making his way to the front door, still in his pyjamas, which just happened to be a tank top and sweatpants, he opened it tiredly to see who it was. His face twisted with confusion at who was at his door, a brow raising. 

“What do I owe for this pleasure, Shuichi?” Kokichi laughed, still half asleep, followed by a yawn. Shuichi looked so happy, a smile across his pale cheeks, a bit of rosy flush to go with it. But one thing did not go unnoticed. His stupid emo hat was back, why? He liked seeing all of Shuichi’s hair, not having his features covered by the shadow of a cap. It was annoying, he hated annoying things. 

“Well, since you’re all alone… I.. uh… figured I could go to school with you on some days just so you don’t feel so lonely.” Shuichi had kind intentions, but Kokichi couldn’t get over the other’s vibes, obsession and possession. It felt so weird, but he knew Shuichi wasn’t like that. He was a sweet, nervous, normal, teenager. If anyone was off their rockers, it was Kokichi, playing mind games with anyone and everyone. It was nice Shuichi had such kind intentions, but he knew it was out of pity. Because Shuichi regretted being so mean to Kokichi and saw this as a second chance. What the detective didn’t know was he deserved the hatred. 

“Aw… How sweet of you Shuichi! But it’s okay, no need to worry about little ol’ me!” Kokichi said lightly, despite loving the attention from the detective. Maybe going to school with Shuichi some days would be nice… maybe even good for him? Who knows, but he knew that if the detective really wanted to hang out with the supreme leader, he wouldn’t stop him. Grabbing the other’s hands, he pulled Shuichi inside with a giggle.

“But if you insist! Come on inside!” He pulled the other in without giving him a chance to protest, it was amazing that Shuichi was so willing to come in. He felt the other squeeze his hands, which made Kokichi raise a brow, but didn’t question it. Looking up at the detective’s face, he had some sort of strange look, enthralled perhaps? And he had flush spread across his face, but he didn’t seem embarrassed. He seemed like he was in pure bliss, it was weird, but he wouldn’t point it out. 

“I still have to shower and get dressed, so you can wait here, Shuichi!” It was still early, at least to Kokichi. It was 8:15, so he had 45 minutes before he had to get to school, and really it wasn’t that far away, he was lucky he lived so close. But that just raises the question: why was Shuichi here so early? Deciding to not dwell on it, he hopped into the shower, the hot water somewhat stinging his sensitive skin. He had old scars and bruises that stained his skin, and every so often they would react poorly to hot water, or pressure placed upon them, but that was all part of being Kokichi Ouma. Resident liar with a past unknown to anyone. 

Stepping out of the shower, he wiped off the mirror that had fogged up from the heat, only to be greeted by tired, purple-eyes and slightly pink cheeks. Sighing, he flashed himself a lying grin, as if he was lying to himself. His mentality was, if his reflection grinned, he could as well. Looking at his messy hair, an idea popped into his mind. Kirumi did say this was a chance to well, have a second chance, reinvent yourself. Grabbing a hair elastic, he was quick to tie his hair into a simple ponytail but letting his bangs stay in place, framing his face. He sort of liked how it looked, but he wouldn’t make it a regular appearance. 

With a towel around his waist, he completely forgot someone else was in his house until his eyes met Shuichi’s. Frozen in place, Kokichi just stared at Shuichi, who stared back with blush quickly covering his face. Water dripped from his body onto the floor, and there was a moment of silence that was shared between the two. Suddenly, Shuichi covered his eyes, well his whole face, before looking away with a small yelp. 

“I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to look!” Shuichi screeched, which earned a heartfelt laugh from Kokichi, covering his mouth as he did so. Shuichi was cute when he was embarrassed, and Kokichi did not fail to remind him so. 

“Shuichi I know you were trying to look, it’s okay! If you want…” Kokichi walked over to behind Shuichi, whispering in his ear as he did so. “I can put on a show for you…” And with that he took a step back, a laugh escaping his lips, loud and booming. 

“Kokichi-!”

“Just kidding! I’m gonna go get changed now!” Skipping off to the bedroom, he slammed the door, a huge flush spreading over his cheeks as he did so. Why would he say such a thing? Why would he tease the other? Most of all, why was he so embarrassed? He never used to overthink things like this, things like flirting, but now… he couldn’t get it off his mind. He felt anxious, and not his normal amount of anxiety, no… it was heightened to new ranks. Breathing heavily, he held his chest that rose up and down with every breath, trying to calm down. The worst part about this was when their eyes locked, he could swear he saw only lust in those eyes for a moment before switching back to embarrassed. It was so weird to see Shuichi like that, but it must be in his head, right?

He’s overthinking… right?

Slipping into his plain, black, uniform for school, he cursed at how boring this looked. He needed to go clothes shopping, hating how terribly bland all his clothes were now. No scarfs, no nothing. All shades of grey, barely any purple. How drab! Brushing off his uniform of any dust, he made his way back into the living room, where Shuichi was calmly sitting on the couch, probably trying to calm himself down. Kokichi stood behind him, before resting his chin on the top of Shuichi’s head. It was more uncomfortable since he was wearing the hat again, but he still rested his head there anyways. 

“Are you ready to go, Kokichi?” He asked calmly, before getting up which caused Kokichi to step back slightly. He looked around the apartment as if he was looking for some excuse to stay longer, but he couldn’t find one whatsoever. So with a sigh, it looks like he isn’t going to skip class as he planned. Grabbing his bag, he nodded before going to the front door.

“I guess I am ready to go! So let’s get going!” He called out, opening the door, the sun glaring into his eyes. It burns, he felt like a vampire. He was as pale as one too, so it was oddly fitting. Walking outside, the metal grates clanging beneath his steps, he shut the door behind him when Shuichi was finally out of his apartment. In silence, the two made their way down the steps and started to head off to school. Talking and walking side by side, everything appeared to be normal until Shuichi said something completely out of the blue. 

“Do you think there’s going to be another Killing Game?” Kokichi raised a brow at the other’s words, did Shuichi sound… hopeful? That’s weird, why did he sound so excited for another game full of bloodshed?

“Probably. I assume so… I mean, if there have been 53 killing games, what’s stopping a 54th from happening?” He made a good point, and with that, Shuichi’s face lit up for a moment, odd, before it went back to his nervous and serious look. There’s the detective he knew and somewhat loved like a friend and nothing more. He only cared about Shuichi as a friend, after all, Shuichi was one of the only people he could truly trust. 

Arriving at school, the purple-haired male looked around at the different crowds of students. Stares had already begun to die down, and he could finally feel normal. As normal as a student who has experienced their death can be. Making their way to class, they were stopped in the hall by Kaito and Maki, who were also making their way to class. Kokichi felt nervous energy build up inside his body, his stomach dropping, while Shuichi just smiled at his two friends. 

“Kokichi, listen,” Maki spoke, Kokichi not even stopping as he continued to walk to class, the three following behind. Stop following me. Stop watching me. Before he could walk into the classroom, a hand on his shoulder stopped him, by causing him to freeze in place. Turning his head to look at who touched him, he saw Maki have a somewhat apologetic face on her normally aggressive features. Pulling away from her grasp, he looked at her with crossed arms. 

“I wanted to apologize for what I did to you. It wasn’t cool and I’m sorry.” Whoa. Was he actually getting an apology from the angry, assassin, herself? Along with that, she seemed much less angry all together, she seemed calm, chill. Maybe her real personality was much easier to deal with, maybe she truly wasn’t trying to kill people? Maybe they could get along?

Kokichi was about to say a snarky response when Shuichi shot him a look that pleaded ‘please forgive her, she’s trying her best.’ and he sighed. Anything for his beloved Shuichi! Beloved being in a friendly type of way. He just stood in silence for a moment, trying to think of a not so rude response, but his hesitation earned a glare from Maki. 

“You gonna forgive me or not!?” She snapped, which caused Kaito to put a hand on her shoulder, calming her down slightly. Aw... how cute, such a happy couple. He sighed, before shoving his hands into his pant pockets, before flashing a lying smile. 

“I forgive you, at least for now, Harumaki!” He lied, teasing her with the nickname she reserved for Kaito and Kaito alone, which caused her to snarl at the other. She didn't look pleased with the nickname, but Kaito was next to speak, still holding her back. 

“At least he apologized at all.” He pointed out, the two walking into class ahead of Shuichi and Kokichi. Shuichi smiled sweetly at Kokichi, his hat not even hiding his pleased expression. 

“Thank you for forgiving her.” And with that, the other two walked into class, both sitting in their respective seats. Time for more spacing out, featuring: Kokichi Ouma. Like hell he’d pay attention to some class he already knew everything on, supreme leaders have to be geniuses after all. Looking to his right, he saw Kirumi was already in class, taking something out of her bag as he sat. Suddenly, an apple placed on his desk, causing his brow to raise. Looking to his side, he saw Kirumi smiling softly. 

“I can tell when you’ve eaten and not eaten, and it’s clear that you haven’t eaten. So eat this, now.” A bit more commanding than normal, a brow raising at her stern tone. Not wanting to get on her bad side, he bit into the apple. It was better to eat something healthy than to buy some junk food at lunch. As class began to start, Kokichi ate his apple annoyingly loudly while he stared out the window, a grin across his face. Oh, how he loved to cause chaos. 

He wasn’t sure how long he was spacing out, looking out the window at whatever came by, but soon class was over and it was lunch hour. Looking up, he saw green eyes meet his own, well if it was one of his favourite people. Really, he had everyone in the class ranked. Rantaro and Shuichi both shared the first place spot, sometimes alternating, but usually, they shared it. 

“Kokichi! Let’s go have lunch together? I haven’t talked to you in a day, I miss your lies.” Rantaro laughed, which caused Kokichi to grin and stand up, grabbing his bag. 

“Yes, let’s go have lunch!” Kokichi cheered, unknowing to the stare on the two. Shuichi, who was glaring daggers at Rantaro for some odd reason, but Kokichi didn’t notice as he skipped out of class with the taller. They got a few stares, but not as much as a few days ago. The hype of the killing game was dying down much faster than the genius intended. 

Making their way outside, Rantaro found them a good place to sit and eat, under a large tree that had a bench there as well. Sitting crossed-legged on the bench, resting his head comfortably on the other’s shoulder. In the killing game, they had gotten this close, so of course, it would transfer into real life as well. They may have looked like a couple to everyone else, but really, they were just close friends. 

“By the way, your hair looks really nice tied up in a ponytail.” Rantaro pointed out before biting into his sandwich, which caused Kokichi to only laugh in return, before sitting up and glancing at Rantaro. 

“Of course it looks nice! No matter what I do, I look good!” Kokichi lied. He wasn’t the biggest fan of how he looked. He was small, scrawny, pale, but he was cute in stature. People constantly said how cute he was, but he wanted to be more. He wanted to be hot, like Rantaro. Every girl in the area would fawn over him, it made Kokichi angry, a bit jealous, though he wouldn’t say it out loud. He wished he had the stature of Kaito, Rantaro, maybe not Gonta though… he was too muscly. 

“That’s true… you do always look good.” Rantaro laughed, which caused a slight flush to spread across his face. He quickly groaned, before resting his head on Rantaro’s shoulder once more. 

“I’d look better if I had better clothes in my wardrobe, they're all so bland and boring.” Kokichi was being extra, throwing his arms up in the air in frustration. Rantaro then sat up, as if he had just come up with a genius idea. Kokichi looked up at him with confusion spread over his face, a brow rising. 

“Let’s skip class and get you a new wardrobe! It’ll be fun, and we can spend real time together.” Rantaro suggested, finishing the rest of his sandwich in one bite, looking down at Kokichi with determination in his eyes. Kokichi liked that, seeing the fire in someone’s eyes for what they want. Plus any excuse to not go to class, right? Standing up with excitement, he smiled at the other. 

“Hell yeah! Let’s go!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WOW SKIPPING CLASS? imagine. couldn't be me. jk a lot of kokichi is me just projecting so sometimes he may be a bit out of character.


	5. Worry

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i want to write shuichi kinda overbearing but it makes me feel bad to make him so yandere like

“Are you really going to buy another checkered scarf?” Rantaro laughed when Kokichi stepped out of the changing room, striking a pose as he did so. A grin across his face, confidence omitting from his body. His outfit screamed Kokichi Ouma. Big black boots, white cargo pants, a t-shirt over a black and white striped shirt, his traditional checkered scarf, and finally his hair tied into a ponytail. Some may say he looked quirky, he thought just looked good. 

“Why not, Rantaro? I wore it in the games, might as well bring one thing with me!” Kokichi pointed out, taking a step closer out of the dressing room. Rantaro stood up from the bench, putting the pile of bags he already had from Kokichi’s escapades down. Walking over to the smaller, he placed his hands on Kokichi’s shoulders, causing him to tense slightly. He had been trying to get used to physical contact from other people, but every touch felt crushing and suffocating as if he was dying all over again. He tried to ignore the feeling, focusing on Rantaro instead. His gorgeous hair, his beautiful eyes, his nice physique, it was easy to forget about the past when looking at Rantaro. 

“We’re not in the game anymore Kokichi, you’re allowed to switch it up if you want.” He was so sweet, Kokichi smiled ever so slightly. Breaking away from Rantaro’s grasp, the purple-haired male sighed, before shrugging. 

“We may not be in the game, but I did enjoy what I was wearing in it. Even if the clasps and belts were somewhat annoying, it was nice to have a statement outfit.” With that, Kokichi went back into the changing room. Changing back into his school uniform, he brushed the dust off of it, before exiting the changing room to see Rantaro simply smiling once more. 

“I do have to say. You look cute in anything, but wearing clothes you like gives you a sort of confidence that’s much more attractive.” Rantaro bluntly spoke, before walking with Kokichi to the counter, where he paid for his final outfit. He had really taken advantage of the unlimited budget for 2 months plan, buying as many clothes as he wanted. Both he and Rantaro had 5 bags each, two of them being Rantaro’s, but the rest being Kokichi’s. What can he say? He loves clothes. 

Walking through the mall was for sure the worst part, bodies pushing against him, making him feel claustrophobic, suffocating. Rantaro seemed to finally notice this stress, and grabbed Kokichi by his hand, squeezing it with a smile. Kokichi felt a little bit more at ease when he did this, but he was taken off when Rantaro began to drag the smaller through the mall, confusion filling his face, along with a bit of paranoia. 

Before he knew what hit him, he was outside again, the refreshing air hitting his face. He felt as if he could never grow accustomed to real-life surroundings again, forgetting that birds chirp, forgetting that weather changes, all of it. Now he couldn’t get enough of these little things, the rain dripping onto his small frame, or the sun blaring with heat the next day or even the next hour. It was all so amazing. Plus the smell of nature, trees, animals, even pollution had its own smell that Kokichi couldn’t grow to know. It was all so different. 

“Let’s head home? It’s already 4:30, and my parents are going to get concerned if I’m not home soon.” Rantaro had started to walk towards the bus stop, Kokichi quickly following behind. He wished he had parents who were concerned about his whereabouts, instead, he was going to come home to an empty apartment, no one there to care about him. No one really cared about him, did they? Rantaro and Shuichi only gave him pity attention, and Kirumi felt as if she  _ had  _ to take on the motherly role for him because he’d often step out of line. He didn’t have anyone who genuinely cared about him, he knew this, he’s always known this. 

Waiting at the bus stop beside Rantaro, he stared at the grey road, silence washing over the two. People stared for a bit, a few whispers like  _ ‘those two are from danganronpa!’ _ and _ ‘whoa, they were both murdered.’ _ things around that nature, but soon their stares faded and they went about their days as if everything was normal. The blue skies began to fade into a grey hue, clouds filling the sky. Rain began to pour down like a waterfall, falling onto the two as they patiently waited. Kokichi liked this feeling, the feeling of rain on his skin, it was a feeling he longed for. It was amazing. 

“Weird. The weather didn’t call for rain…”

“You can’t believe everything you read online, Rantaro!” Kokichi laughed, looking up at him with a cheeky grin. The taller sighed, scratching the back of his neck with a small chuckle. Not long after, the bus arrived, and the two got on and sat near the back of the bus. The bus wasn’t crowded per se, but Kokichi rather not sit around a bunch of strangers that made him feel even more like he was suffocating. 

Sitting beside Rantaro, leaning on him with his eyes closed for a moment. He was exhausted, barely getting a blink of sleep since the killing game. He felt too restless at night to sleep but too tired during the day to function. He couldn’t keep going on like this, but he would lie about it. Lie that he was okay, lie that he wasn’t slowly falling apart. Not once had he cried since the ordeal, and he would keep it that way. It’s not that he thought crying was weak, he just didn’t want to be vulnerable. 

“You okay? You’ve been oddly silent since we left the mall?” Aw, it was sweet how concerned Rantaro was, causing a large grin to spread onto his face, almost bouncing up out of his seat but realizing he was on a bus. Looking at the other with his signature lying smile, even giving a cute little peace sign. 

“I’m a-okay, Rantaro! You’re cute for worrying, but I was just thinkin’ about how stylish all my clothes are!” Kokichi lied, giggling after as he looked out the window. hooting up like a bullet, grabbing Rantaro’s hand as well. Pressing the stop signal, he dragged the taller off the bus, hopping down onto the pavement beneath. His apartment was down the street, so this was the closest place to get off the bus. 

They walked down the block, talking amongst themselves, laughing and smiling the whole way. It felt so nice to do this, he felt wanted for once, like he could have a real friend beyond DICE. Soon they arrived at Kokichi’s apartment, where he leaned against the metal staircase, looking at Rantaro with a big smile. 

“Do you want me to help you carry your bags upstairs?” Rantaro asked, which caused Kokichi eyes to go wide for a moment. He probably shouldn’t let Rantaro know about living alone, so he decided to lie once more. He didn’t like lying to the person he cared about as a friend, but it would be better than letting him into his life behind his lying purple eyes. Plus, Rantaro may judge him for having no parents - or worse, he’ll show that he cared, and Kokichi would feel guilty. Better to just dig himself a deeper hole, right? 

“No, no! I don’t want you to strain your muscles. I’m fine carrying this up!”

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah, I’m sure! Don’t worry about it, I’ll see you tomorrow!” Kokichi cheered, grabbing the bags out of Rantaro’s hands and running upstairs. Walking into his apartment, he threw his bags onto the couch, before walking into the kitchen. He was a bit hungry, and luckily he went shopping for small things on the weekend. Grabbing a granola bar, he decided that would be his dinner. Biting into it, he was quickly interrupted by a knock on the door, where he promptly walked to the door. Did Rantaro forget something in one of Kokichi’s bags? Who else would it be? Opening the door, he was greeted by a worried Shuichi, a frown across his face. 

“Kokichi! Where were you? I was so worried. When you went with Rantaro for lunch I had a bad feeling, then you don’t show up to class. And you didn’t answer any of my texts either!” Shuichi frantically spoke, grabbing Kokichi’s hands. The smaller was taken off guard by the other’s sudden worry, eyes widening as he stumbled back. Shuichi followed his stumble, coming into the house. 

“Shuichi, calm down! Don’t worry. Rantaro and I just went to the mall to buy myself some new clothes, there’s really nothing to worry about.” Kokichi laughed, pulling his hands away from the taller. A sudden wave of relief washed over Shuichi, his face turning into a soft smile. 

“S-Sorry for just coming here unannounced. I was just panicking, I’m glad to see you’re okay.” He sighed with relief, putting a hand on Kokichi’s shoulder. Kokichi should feel like he’s being crushed like he’s suffocating, but he was too overwhelmed with how sweet the detective was worrying this much. He never had anyone care about him, not as a true friend that is, so this was all new territory. But once again, Shuichi gave off a weird vibe. Obsession. He was probably overthinking it. 

“Don’t worry, Shuichi! I’m all good, it’s sweet you care.” Kokichi flashed a typical smile, before taking another bite out of his granola bar. Shuichi’s brows furrowed for a moment, concern appearing on his face once again. 

“Please don’t tell me that’s your dinner.” 

“Ding ding ding! You guessed it, mister detective.” Kokichi winked, before shoving the rest of the bar into his mouth. Shuichi sighed, crossing his arms in disapproval. 

“No. It’s not. I won’t allow it. I have your homework for you anyways, how about we do it together and we can order dinner. It’ll be good to help you catch up on what you’ve missed.” There’s the typical detective, caring about grades, studies, smarts, he wasn’t too surprised Shuichi’s idea was to have a study date. But the idea made him a bit nervous, being close together, laughing, maybe feeling his breath on his own neck, it made his stomach sink. 

“If you want to spend time with me! Go right ahead!” Kokichi laughed, before closing the door that was still left open. Looking at Shuichi, a brow raised. A question lingered on the leader’s tongue, a question that could tear apart their friendship. 

“Why do you suddenly care so much about me?” Kokichi spoke up his question, not being able to keep it inside. That’s weird. He used to be able to bury down all his anxieties, pretend they didn’t exist, pretend he was fine. But ever since the game ended, anxiety had been knocking at his door 24/7. The detective froze for a moment, before looking at Kokichi with a soft smile. 

“I realized that… In the game, I didn’t treat you fairly. I let Kaito’s and Maki’s opinions on you dictate my own, and… that’s not fair.” Shuichi was being honest, and Kokichi couldn’t help but smile at the response. He knew that Maki and Kaito weren’t the biggest fans of him, but maybe in their second chances, they could learn to accept the liar for who he is. Shuichi wasn’t done talking though, he laughed slightly at what he said next. 

“Plus, you’re a mystery. And it’s a detective’s job to unravel mysteries.” He wasn’t wrong, Kokichi Ouma was a mystery. Smiling at the other’s joke, Kokichi made his way to the couch, moving his bags into his room. 

“I just have to put away these clothes, then we can order some food.” Kokichi winked at Shuichi, laughing when the other blushed, hiding his face with his hat. That was cute. Maybe the hat wasn’t too bad. Taking his clothes out of his bags, he quickly folded them, putting them into his dresser before making his way back to the living room. Shuichi had made himself comfortable on the couch, well, as comfortable as he could get. He still looked a bit nervous, Kokichi was sure to ease that.

Sitting right beside the detective, he grinned at the other’s nervous reaction. Kokichi would normally feel like he’s suffocating, but not with Shuichi, and not with Rantaro either. Those two were the only ones that really made him feel comfortable. 

“So, Shuichi… What would you like for dinner? I’m payin’!” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oooh study date with Shuichi? i think so ;)


	6. Study Date

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some sweet Oumasai action :0 also y'all ur comments are so nice I'm so flattered I don't rlly think my writing is all that great but if you all like it then thank you :)

Biting into his burger, part of him regretted offering Shuichi to choose, realizing this was the second time this week he’s had a burger. It was a safe and easy choice, but it was easy to get sick of it. Despite this, he ate his burger without complaint, sitting across from Shuichi on the floor, both focusing on their respective math homework. This was child's play to Kokichi, but it’s not like he didn’t need a refresher. Looking up at the detective who was struggling, eyes narrowing on their solving rational equations worksheet. Kokichi smiled, before moving to sit beside the detective, leaning over his shoulder to see what was troubling the taller. There was one question that was left unanswered, a Kokichi couldn’t help but giggle. He knew the answer, but he might make the other work for it.

“Don’t laugh at me! I’m not as smart as you… instead, why don’t you try to help me?” Shuichi asked, raising a brow at the supreme leader. A sudden wicked grin across his face, turning to face the taller with a wink. Suddenly leaning closer, Kokichi put a hand against his chest, leaning closer and closer. His voice dropped an octave, seductive. 

“Helping is no fun… why don’t you… beg for it?” He teased, wanting to see the detective get all flustered. His face heated up bright red, Kokichi could feel the other’s heartbeat. Shuichi’s face had an embarrassed expression, but his eyes and slight smile said something different. He was desperate for this. No. Kokichi is overthinking, Shuichi wouldn’t be desperate for Kokichi. 

“Just kidding!” He pulled away with a laugh, the other letting out a sigh. A sigh of relief he assumed. Turning back towards the worksheet, Kokichi leaned on the detective, holding his pencil up to his chin. 

“The solution is… No solution!” He cheered, before laughing and explaining the problem to the detective, who was clearly confused by the smaller. “You see, you were on the right track, but there’s a problem here. X cannot equal negative five, because negative five plus five is 0, and x cannot equal 0. You get it now? No solution!” Kokichi explained, leaning over the other in the process. Moving back to his spot across the table, Shuichi muttered a thank you before eyes glued back onto his paper, checking his solutions. The other had a slightly different demeanour all of the sudden, more nervous than usual. 

Biting into his burger, he chose to ignore it, shrugging internally. Finally, Shuichi looked up at Kokichi, nursing his own burger as well. Kokichi looked at the other for a moment, eyes locking. He never noticed how pretty Shuichi’s eyes were, he could get lost in them forever. Shaking his head for a moment, he stood up, making his way to the couch, sitting behind Shuichi. Shuichi looked up, throwing his head back in the process, his hat falling off. Now Kokichi had a full view of Shuichi’s face, and he liked what he saw. His pretty eyes, his cute small smile, his rosy cheeks, everything about the detective screamed ‘I’m cute! Fall in love with me!’, but Kokichi would not listen. He would not fall in love with Shuichi, he needed a friend more than a relationship, plus Kaede would most likely murder him, with her words of course. Kaede was never violent. 

“What’re you doing up there?” Shuichi asked, raising a brow. Kokichi grabbed the hat that had fallen off Shuichi’s head, putting it on with a grin. He understood why the detective liked the hat, it was comfortable, despite it looking very stuffy. The detective blushed slightly, before looking away from Kokichi entirely. 

“It’s more comfortable on the couch, you should join me.” Kokichi patted the couch beside him, barely enough room for the two to squeeze together, but Kokichi offered nonetheless. Shuichi sighed, before pushing himself up and sitting beside the smaller, the two squished together. It was a bit uncomfortable, so he decided to take it upon himself to make a little more room. Pushing himself up, he sat on Shuichi’s lap, a grin across his face. 

“H-Hey, K-Kokichi! What are you doing!?” A frantic response, blush spreading across his pale face. Kokichi laughed at the other’s response, before leaning over slightly to turn on the T.V, good background noise while they talked. Looking back at Shuichi, a wicked grin was plastered on his face. 

“We were squished side by side, so I decided to make more room? Nothing wrong with that, right?” Kokichi asked a brow raising. Part of this was to entirely tease the detective, see how far he could take it before Shuichi had enough of him and pushed him away, just as he did in the game. This is what he does, someone gets too close to him and he does everything in his power to push them away, make them leave him before he had to be faced with rejection. 

“I guess that’s true…” Shuichi muttered, refusing to make eye contact with the smaller, which made Kokichi giggle. It was cute how nervous the detective was, but incoming overthinking. Shuichi’s aura felt obsessive again as if he wanted this more than anything. That he wanted Kokichi more than anything. The two watched T.V in silence, small talk here and there, but overall in comfortable tranquillity. Shuichi had put his arms around Kokichi, claiming it was for the smaller’s safety, just in case he suddenly slipped off. That’s typical Shuichi, worrying about safety more than the actual situation at hand. 

A yawn escaped Kokichi’s lips, the first yawn that he had omitted since they finished the game. He felt so comfortable that he was tired, so comfortable that he could sleep. The only other time he felt like this was around Rantaro, that’s what real friends were like? Putting his head against the crook of Shuichi’s neck, he yawned once more, his hot breath lingering on the other’s neck. Eyelids began to feel heavy, shutting softly as he nuzzled up closer to Shuichi. He could swear he felt the other’s grip around him tighten, pulling him closer. It felt nice to be held like this, platonic cuddling was so fun! Before he knew what hit him, he was fast asleep, soft snores escaping the smaller of the two. 

Visions of the game haunted his mind. Glares on him 24/7, doubts of his proof, hating every fibre of his being. Shuichi was one of the people who hated him, how could they be so close now? That’s not the only thing that riddled his mind. The feeling of blood dripping out of his arm, out of his mouth, drenching his body. It was gross, the smell made him sick. The thing that made him the sickest, the most nauseous, feeling the most vile, it was the feeling of being crushed. He could feel the metal on his body, his bones crushing, his blood splattering, everything ripping apart. He hated it, he didn’t need to put himself through his. He died for nothing. He died for you, Shuichi!

Shooting up in bed, he couldn’t collect his surroundings. Breathing heavily, chest rising and falling with every breath, eyes dart around the room, trying to get a grip of his area. He wasn’t in the killing game anymore, this is his second chance, he wasn’t dead. He had a second chance at life, at making friends. But he can’t change. Why can’t he change!? He doesn’t even like himself, he hates his personality, but why can’t he change? He wanted to be liked, but not enough to become any different. He wasn’t sure how to control himself. He was just so scared. 

Tears welling up in his eyes, hands dragged up his face, gripping his hair as he covered his ears. Block out the world, no one can hurt you here. Gasping to catch his breath, he fought every urge to let in his eyes drop down, but his fight wasn’t enough. He was finally crying. Alone, in his cold room, no one to comfort him. A loud sob escaping his lips, tears streaming down his face. He hated this feeling, the burning of the tears stung his cheeks. He wanted to hide away forever. Mouth opened for any amount of air to enter, hyperventilating, ugly sobbing, covering his ears, he was a mess. The rest of the night spent crying, going from sobbing to simple tears running down his cheeks while he curled into a ball, looking at his phone. Part of him hoped that someone would text him, try to check in on him, yet no one did. It was late anyways, he would care enough to check in on him at 3 am. 

Morning came as fast as he could hope, sun trickling into his room from the tiny window. Rubbing his red eyes, he yawned. Now he was beyond tired. He had used all his energy through crying, and he barely had enough to stand. A question lingered in his mind as he walked into the living room, did Shuichi carry him into bed then leave without saying goodbye? A pang in Kokichi’s heart became apparent, realizing he had rather spent the rest of the time with Shuichi awake, but it was too late to dwell on the past. He needed to forget the past and focus on the present, he needed to focus on the tasks at hand. Making friends without having to change himself. 

A knock on his door caused him to lazily make his way over, almost falling in the process. He was beyond tired, his brain could barely think straight. He assumed it was Shuichi, coming by to walk with Kokichi to school. Sighing as he opened the door, his puffy, purple, eyes met silvery-white ones, shining in the light. Oh great, now someone else knows where Kokichi lives. 

“Hey, Kiiboy! How did you find my lovely abode? And more importantly, why are you here?” Kokichi asked, rubbing his eyes in disbelief, his tone still light and teasing. Leaning on his door frame, another yawn escaped his lips. He felt as if he was going to pass out any second, but he held his ground around the other. 

“I-I well… Shuichi told me that he wouldn’t be able to walk with you today, saying that Kaede had asked to walk with him. But he asked if I could walk with you, and I said yes! He wanted me to make sure you actually went to class.” Kiibo explained, a shy smile across his face as he explained. So even out of the killing game, he was nervous and shy. It was endearing, easy to tease. A shrug from Kokichi, before walking back into his apartment, crashing onto the couch face first. Kiibo promptly followed into the apartment, just letting him into his home without asking. How bold. 

“Not even going to ask if you can come in? You’ve changed, Kiiboy. Anyways, I’m not coming to class today. No need to spend my time learning shit I already know.” Kokichi laughed, looking up at Kiibo as he shifted into a proper position onto the couch. Kiibo sighed at this remark, crossing his arms and looking down at Kokichi with disapproval in his eyes. 

“You shouldn’t be skipping class, Kokichi!” Kiibo whined, but Kokichi only sighed in response. 

“Sorry, I don’t know what to tell ya’! I’m just too smart for that class, plus I’m too tired to go to class.” That wasn’t a lie at all, he was dead ass tired. Kiibo’s expression softened when he did come to notice Kokichi’s features, and more importantly, his surroundings.

“Do you live alone, Kokichi?”

_ Crap. _

“No, no. My mom just leaves for work early. Anyways, if you excuse me, I’m gonna go take a nap.” Kokichi lied, shooting up from his spot on the couch and making his way to his bedroom, shutting the door softly. He heard Kiibo omit another sigh, before leaving the house, closing the door calmly on his way out. Too many people knew where he lived at this point, soon the whole damn class would know. It’s not like he was trying to keep his life a secret, but the more they knew, the more questions surfaced, and the more they knew about his truly sad life. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i think i've said this before but I don't know if this is gonna end as kokichi being with rantaro or with Shuichi and honestly, I'm here for the long haul


	7. Liars

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> y'all thank you so much for the support stuff is gonna start picking up real soon. chapter 8 gets saucy so ;)

He couldn’t sleep the day away, he felt too restless to stay home but too tired to go to class. So he decided to explore the city, maybe do a bit of grocery shopping, anything to keep his mind off well… everything. Changing into one of the outfits he bought, he realized his next trip had to be to IKEA, so he could at least buy a full stand mirror and a few nice things for his room. Brushing off his clothes of any lingering dust, he grabbed his phone and his jacket, though it was already May and the heat was starting to rush in, he couldn’t guarantee it wouldn’t rain or something around those lengths. It’s better to be safe than sorry. 

Exiting his apartment with a shut of his creaky door, he couldn’t help but notice the smell of the freshly cut grass. It was nice, he always appreciated some of the little things. Skipping down the steps, he put in his earbuds, if only to drown out the rest of the world. The stares were now nonexistent, which he sort of missed. He liked being the centre of attention, people wanting to take photos of him. Who cares about the reason? 

Who cares that he died?

He decided the first stop would be the grocery store, pick up a few needed items, then maybe drop by school to walk home with Rantaro or Shuichi, mainly to ask what he missed in a boring class. Walking down the street, he heard what sounded like… crying? He noticed the noise coming from one of the alleyways, did no one else care? Why did he care? Just leave it be, it’s not your business. But he was curious. Curiosity killed the cat.

Making his way to the alleyway, he peeked around the corner. Luckily he was so small, so he could go unseen… who is he kidding!? He wanted to be taller, he hated being so tiny. Narrowing his eyes on the two silhouettes, it was clear to see the one cowering on the ground was crying, a male, around 5’8 ft, Kokichi could gather that information from looking at him. But the girl, she was too familiar, part of him wished it wasn’t true. But that blond hair and build weren’t hard to mistake, it was Kaede. What happened here?

Kaede made her way from the boy who was left crying on the ground, and Kokichi quickly turned so he wasn’t spotted by the girl. Leaning against the storefront wall, he racked his brain about what could have happened. He’s never seen Kaede that scary before, and he swore he saw blood as well. It was all so sickening, but there has to be a reasonable explanation. An explanation that explained why she was skipping class, attacking a stranger, and walking away with confidence and bravo. 

Wait, there was an explanation… her original personality. Shuichi had stated in her ‘audition’ video, she was ruder, and seemed to take everything as a joke. This almost fit her attitude right now perfectly, but why was she violent? Before he had any more time to think, her voice rang in his head, causing him to glance up. 

“Hey, Kokichi. Whatcha doing here and not in class?” She had asked, a brow on the girl raising. He could ask the same thing, but he didn’t, he held his tongue for a moment. He was never the type to shy away from confrontation, but now he feared one thing, she clearly had the strength and fearless nature to hurt him if she had too. 

“Oh, I decided to take a day off. A supreme leader such as myself needs his well-earned break.” He shrugged, winking at her with a grin. She seemed suspicious, arms crossing as she took a step back. It was as if he was being examined, eyes dancing up and down his frame. He gulped, nerves setting in. 

“Didn’t you skip yesterday as well?” She asked, tilting her head. A sigh of relief, he thought she was about to threaten him. But why would he think that? He clearly read the situation in the alley wrong, she was acting like her normal self. Unless… she was only acting? Maybe Shuichi told her about the personality theory, and she was pretending as if she wasn’t shifting. Then, she was no different than Kokichi. Kokichi knew his personality was shifting to the more anxious side, anxiety peaking with every step, but he was still good enough at lying to pretend he was fine. 

“Well, a face like mine does require a lot of beauty sleep.”

“You look like you haven’t slept in days.” She was blunt to say, her expression blank and emotionless. He froze, touching the bags under his eyes for a moment. So it was that clear? He would need to buy some makeup as well. He remembered before the killing game he would buy makeup as well, though it was cheap, to cover up all the bruises he received. Eyes glance down at her fists, they were red-stained, blood… 

“You have a little something on your hands…” Kokichi pointed out, changing the topic entirely. Kaede looked at her hands, before wiping them on her uniform skirt, which probably wasn’t the best idea for her, luckily though the skirt was black. She laughed nervously, before scratching the back of her neck. 

“Yeah, that’s paint. Angie was teaching me how to paint.” 

“I see… then why are you here and not at school?” Kokichi smirked, head tilting, getting a rise out of her. She sighed for a moment, before grinning simply. She was very good at lying, but a liar could easily see through her. 

“I guess I needed a day off… How about we hang out? I could bring you to my favourite makeup store and you can get concealer for your bags, and maybe a little somethin’ somethin’ more?” Kaede nudged his arm, causing his eyes to narrow in suspicion. Maybe he was wrong, maybe that guy attacked her first… but she didn’t have one injury on her. Everything was yelling at him saying she was becoming violent, rude, sassy, was that the worst thing though? Smiling, he nodded before starting to walk away. 

“I’ll join ya’ to the makeup store, but… you have to join me on my small errand first.” Kokichi winked once more, Kaede catching up with him. They began to walk and talk side by side, he had forgotten how nice Kaede was. But he couldn’t forget the blood on her hands, the cold stare she had, how she seemed evil. He didn’t have the full story, so he can’t jump to conclusions. He just prayed this nice girl act wasn’t well… an act. 

When he was finally done at the grocery store with Kaede, where he couldn’t help but raise a brow at her comment while they exited the store. 

“Kokichi… how do you live on only junk food yet be skinny? I’m sort of jealous…” Right, some people were sad they couldn’t be skinnier, where really he wished he wasn’t so skinny. Put some meat on those bones, as some people said. He just shrugged, he couldn’t think of an answer or a lie at that rate. That statement was quickly washed away by the two making their way to Kaede’s favourite makeup store, a store he couldn’t really care to learn the name of. 

Walking in, he felt as if he was ambushed with a wave of perfume, or some sort of strong smell. He felt a little sick from it, but he tried to push down that feeling, after all, Kaede looked so excited. Following Kaede through the store like a lost puppy, they arrived at the assortments of concealers, different brands and shades, it was all so confusing. But he refused to ask for help, he didn’t want some nosy, stuck up salesperson to look down at him like he was a fool. Instead, he had Kaede to help. 

Staring at the different shades, Kaede tapped his shoulder, catching his attention. She held a concealer bottle in front of him, his perfect shade and not too expensive. He tilted his head, taking it out of her hand. 

“Thanks.” He cheered before she smiled sweetly. That smile can’t be faked. She then dragged him around the store, claiming that she had to look for a few things herself. If anyone didn’t know them, they would assume the two were a couple, but in reality, he was a lost boy being dragged around by an over-excited girl. 

“Since you already got the concealer, and you have the money, why not buy a few things to spruce up your look?” Kaede suggested, giving him eyeliner. Kokichi’s eyes raised at the other’s suggestion, but maybe a big change like this was necessary, plus she seemed so excited. Looking down at the eyeliner, he took it as the other grinned even wider. Kaede then proceeded to get him a bunch of things, like lip gloss, mascara, eyeshadow, and more. He probably wouldn’t use more than half of this, but the eyeshadow and eyeliner were nice, Kaede claimed it would make his eyes look even bigger. Did he have big eyes? Were big eyes attractive? Maybe Shuichi and Rantaro like big eyes? 

_ Wait what…? _

Ignoring that thought, he went to the check out with Kaede, who wasn’t buying anything but joined him anyways. Once they were done, they exited the store and made their way towards school. Kokichi had told her that he wanted to walk home with Rantaro and Shuichi, and she said she was gonna part ways halfway there. 

“Hey Kokichi, check this out!” Kaede called to him for his attention, purple eyes glancing at the taller. Suddenly, she pulled lipstick, blush, eyeliner and more out of her pocket, it was a whole arrangement of makeup. His eyes went wide, his lips parting slightly. 

“Did you steal all of this?” 

“Yeah! Pretty slick, right?” She asked, a smirk across her face. Oh, so she had changed. She was a delinquent now, not too far off from him. He could remember fondly spray painting the walls, pulling pranks, stealing, running from the cops. It was such fun, but… that past may all be a lie. Maybe DICE truly was a lie? After all, how would an anxious kid like himself be an evil supreme leader? 

“I never knew you had a rebellious side.”

“Yeah, apparently I had one before the killing game, and I guess it’s just coming back to me.” She shrugged before they arrived at a crosswalk. 

“Alright, I’m gonna get going. Bye, Kokichi!” Kaede raced off in the direction of her house, while Kokichi was left alone carrying two somewhat heavy bags. Making his way to the school, he waited outside for Shuichi and Rantaro, but they were sure taking their sweet time! Finally, Rantaro came out, a bit surprised to see Kokichi waiting for him. Grinning widely, Rantaro sped up to walk up to him. 

“Hey! I thought I wasn’t going to see you today, glad you stopped by!” Rantaro laughed, before taking one of Kokichi’s bags without being asked. How sweet of him. 

“Yeah, I wanted to walk home with you and Shuichi!” Kokichi smiled, which made Rantaro tilt his head, confusion wafting over his face. What was so confusing about the three walking home together?

“Shuichi wasn’t in class today, did he not tell you?” Rantaro asked, the two beginning to walk. Kokichi couldn’t help but be confused. According to Kiibo, Shuichi couldn’t walk with Kokichi because he was walking with Kaede, but Kaede wasn’t even in class. God, this was too confusing. Why would Shuichi lie to both Kiibo and Kokichi? It was too much to comprehend. Maybe that was Shuichi’s old personality, maybe he was a compulsive liar? No, that didn’t fit quite right with how he was acting around Kokichi… he was acting, possessive. 

“You okay?” Rantaro suddenly asked, breaking Kokichi’s train of deep thought. He hadn’t even realized they were halfway home, he spent half of his time with Rantaro thinking about Shuichi, weird. Kokichi was quick to smile in response, nodding his head as well. 

“I’m perfectly fine, Rantaro! Just thinkin’ and stuff.” He was telling the truth for once. He was fine, despite looking troubled. Rantaro simply smiled, his smile was so dreamy and pretty. Kokichi could stare at it forever, that’s not weird, right? 

“Anyways, I see you had quite the shopping adventure. I think you’d look cute with eyeliner.” Rantaro gestured to the bag Kokichi was holding, clearly from a high-class makeup store. He fought off the blush that wanted to creep up to his cheeks when Rantaro said he’d look cute, why did that suddenly get to him? He even felt his heart skip a beat. He ignored this feeling, laughing instead. 

“Yeah, Kaede and I went after she helped me grocery shop. Get this, she also shoplifted! I’ve never been more shocked and proud in my whole life.” Kokichi felt as if he could tell Rantaro anything, thus why he told him about what Kaede did. Rantaro seemed a bit shocked, did he think that Kokichi was lying? Right… Kokichi is a liar. That’s all he’ll ever be.

“Ah, so that’s why she wasn’t in class… and it makes sense she shoplifted, I mean even the kindest people can have a dark side.” Rantaro sweetly grinned, which caused Kokichi to raise a brow. He was right. Everyone had secrets to hide, even people who were seemingly good. People like Kaede, Rantaro and Shuichi. 

Soon they arrived at Kokichi’s steps, this seemed like a regular routine at this point. Rantaro and Kokichi would spend five extra minutes talking at the bottom of the steps, then Kokichi would take his bags and run up the steps to hide his embarrassment. 

“Oh, by the way! You missed a partner project being assigned for English class. Don’t worry, I told the teacher I’d be your partner. So come to my house on Friday, okay? I’ll text you the address.” Rantaro spoke while handing Kokichi his grocery bag, Kokichi was about to thank him and walk away when Rantaro suddenly leaned closer, whispering in the smaller’s ear. 

“No one will be home to bother us.” 

And with that, Rantaro was walking away, leaving Kokichi stunned on his steps. A bit of flush crept up to his cheeks, but he quickly ran inside his house to hide any embarrassment he may have. Why was he getting so worked up over this? It was all too confusing. 

Laying in bed, he was about to scroll on Tiktok to waste his brain away, but a sudden text from Shuichi caused his brow to rise. Oh, so the elusive detective finally reveals himself from under the shadows, how mysterious! And Shuichi said the leader was the mysterious one. 

(3:44 pm) Saihara: Hey Kokichi, I was just wondering what I missed at school today?

He admitted to not going to school, even after saying they couldn’t walk together because he was walking with Kaede… why was Shuichi lying?

(3:45 pm) Ouma: Where were you today? I missed your cute face~ uwu

(3:45 pm) Saihara: Don’t tease me Kokichi! I just want to know what I missed and I figured Rantaro told you while you two walked home together?

Wait… how did Shuichi know that the two walked home together? A brow raised, about to ask when he hesitated. Shuichi had been acting differently for a while, maybe this will give some insight into what’s going on through the detective’s head. 

(3:46 pm) Ouma: Wow Shuichi! You’re so mean! Assuming that I didn’t go to class :( 

(3:46 pm) Saihara: Somehow I figured that you would not fall for Kiibo’s convincing

Oh, so Shuichi was just asking on assumption, nothing suspicious about that. Kokichi couldn’t help but sigh in relief at this, knowing that Shuichi wasn’t doing something fishy like spying on him. That’s crazy, Shuichi would never act like that. 

(3:47 pm) Ouma: Your assumptions were correct! Kiiboy tried his best, but he failed horribly. Fine, I guess I’ll give you some top-secret information, but this has to be just between us, okay my beloved? ;)

(3:47 pm) Saihara: I already said stop teasing me, Kokichi! 

(3:48 pm) Ouma: Fine fine. There was a partner project assigned in English, so I guess you’ll need to find a partner.

(3:49 pm) Saihara: Do you perhaps… want to be my partner?

The detective was so forward, asking to be partners without any build-up! Maybe he had finally gained his confidence, that emo hat must be doing wonders!

(3:50 pm) Ouma: Sorry my beloved! But Rantaro already stole me as his partner.

(3:51 pm) Saihara: Oh… ok! I’ll ask Kaede, since I know she wasn’t in class either. After all, you two were hanging out.

Kokichi froze, phone in hand. How did he know that? Maybe Kaede told him, but then, how much did she tell him? Did she bring up how she stole, how she beat up some random dude, skipping class? Did he even care that Kaede was becoming so… different?

(3:55 pm) Ouma: I gtg, talk to you later, cutie~

With that he put his phone at his side, staring ahead at nothing for a moment. How did Shuichi know? It was kind of… scary. What if the thought in the back of his head was right? 

What if Shuichi Saihara was stalking him? 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i cant wait for a shuichi or rantaro pov because wow what's going on through those two minds.


	8. Stay Friends

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SAUCY THINGS HAPPEN IN THIS CHAPTER SO BEWARE. I haven't written smut in years so, be gentle.

Friday couldn’t show up sooner, now he was forced to face a thought that had been wondering his mind. What did Rantaro mean no one would be home to bother them? Probably only talking about the project, nothing else. So why was he so anxious? Why was his heart beating so fast non-stop? Why were his thoughts whirling in his head making him confused? But worst of all, why was he excited? All they were doing was working, nothing more and nothing less. Mind-wandering about all the things that could happen alone, work getting done, leaning in close together, bodies touching… then it gets heavy...

His thoughts are interrupted by a finger tapping his shoulder, eyes darting behind him to see Shuichi smiling softly at him. 

“Are you okay Kokichi? Your face is bright red, and you were biting your lip while spacing out.” Shuichi sounded oh so worried, causing Kokichi to touch his face in disbelief. Was he really that red? Shaking his head, he laughed, putting his hands behind his neck. 

“Don’t worry my beloved! I was just thinking of you and I started to blush!” Kokichi teased, sitting up from his seat and collecting his belongings into his bag. Despite protest, Shuichi had given him notebooks, pencils and everything needed to take notes, so he might as well take care of them. Shuichi blushed at his statement, before looking away with a pout. He knew Kokichi was lying, it was apparent on his face that he wasn’t too pleased. Shuichi should know by now Kokichi will tease him at any given moment. 

“Don’t lie to me like that Kokichi…” Shuichi trailed off, crossing his arms in annoyance. Was he actually offended? Why? Kokichi lied, teased, acted like this, all the time… why was he getting angry now? Kokichi draped himself on Shuichi, which caused the taller man to blush more. 

“Sorry, Shuichi… it’s just you’re so cute when you’re angry.” That wasn’t a lie, the detective was quite cute like this, pouting and blushing. Shuichi quickly shed Kokichi off, the smaller of the two grabbing his bag. 

“Yeah yeah, whatever. You’re walking home with me today, right?” Shuichi had a hopeful look in his eyes when the two locked eyes for a moment, Kokichi felt bad saying no to such a cute guy. 

“No can do! Rantaro and I are going to his house to work on our project today!” Kokichi shrugged, which caused the taller to frown. He looked a bit heartbroken, but he quickly hid this with a sad smile. Sighing, he looked at Kokichi with something hidden behind those eyes, a longing of something more, perhaps? Kokichi wasn’t sure, but he wouldn’t ask. Not his business, though seeing Shuichi act differently was weird. Problem was… he was so focused on Shuichi’s personality shifts that he wasn’t noticing Rantaro’s. 

“Hey, Kokichi you ready to go?” Rantaro had seemingly popped out of nowhere, and his presence caused tension. He couldn’t quite put his finger on it, but Rantaro was so quiet sneaking up on him, his breath even now was almost silent. It was unnerving. It was as if he could always be watching, and no one would even know. Breaking out of his train of thought, he smiled at Rantaro, a big and goofy one. 

“Yeah! Just sayin’ bye to Shuichi…” He turned towards Shuichi, who had been glaring at Rantaro slightly, before looking back at Kokichi with his signature cute smile. That smile was perfect, and could even get Kokichi to tell the truth. “Bye Shuichi, I’ll text ya later.” And with that, Kokichi and Rantaro were off, Kokichi looking back to see a creepy smile across Shuichi’s face, one that went right against his cute smile. It was weird.

As the two walked out of the building, Rantaro moved in a bit closer, the two being shoulder to shoulder. A brow raised at the other, but he just grinned. Maybe Rantaro just tripped or was something else really going on. Rantaro and Shuichi, something in the back of his mind were screaming that these two were dangerous, but he ignored that voice. Instead, he walked with the taller boy, joking about whatever came to mind. Laughter died down and a bone-chilling question was spoken.

“So are you and Shuichi dating?”

Why would Rantaro ask such a thing? Sure, both Shuichi and Kokichi had a good dynamic together, the killing game sparking this unruly duo. But dating? That’s out of the question! A supreme leader of a secret organization can’t just go around throwing a second-hand title to anyone, let alone someone who had only started being kind to him after he died. That’s what he told himself at least. The truth was, he couldn’t lower his guards enough to let anyone see the real him. A horrible, anxiety-filled, mess. He hadn’t realized his anxiety was even all that bad until he left the killing game, and it suddenly sparked really high. It was weird.

“Despite him being one of the cutest things on earth, we are not dating. Why are you asking, hmm, Rantaro? Did you want the honours of being my second in command?” Kokichi’s voice lowered, stopping in his tracks, grabbing Rantaro’s hand. Rantaro stopped, looking back at Kokichi with a slight flush across his face. His eyes were wide, his hands squeezing Kokichi’s. 

“W-What are you talking about, Kokichi?” Rantaro had a smile on his face, eager yet nervous. Kokichi looked down so their eyes wouldn’t meet, the shorter taking a step closer. Parting his lips to speak, he feigned hesitation before looking up with a huge, shit-eating grin. 

“Just kidding!” Kokichi didn’t pull his hands away, but Rantaro's face twisted slightly into anger and annoyance. He looked shattered, completely destroyed. Was he actually expecting a confession from Kokichi? Unlikely. The leader was here to play with people’s feelings and that’s all, not actually fall in love himself. Rantaro pulled his hands away, clenching his fists in anger. 

“Kokichi! Don’t lie about stuff like that.” That was the second time he was told today to not lie, it was like they were asking Kokichi to not be himself. That wasn’t fair. They signed up for this, they shouldn’t get mad when he’s being himself. But was he truly being himself? Rantaro started to walk away, Kokichi following behind. Kokichi didn’t say a thing the rest of the walk, did he feel bad? Finally arriving at Rantaro’s doorstep, he was left in shock from how big his house was, it looked amazing just from the outside, rich people were weird.

“Are you going to stand there gawking, or are you going to come inside?” Rantaro laughed, holding the door open from the smaller. Kokichi quickly came inside, the taller of the two shutting the door behind him. Putting his shoes by the front door, Kokichi copied him. In all honesty, he had never been invited to someone else's house alone, let alone a close friend. Rantaro gave him the house tour, 3 floors, a full movie room as well, it was so huge! Kokichi couldn’t help act like a kid who was about to get a puppy, overly excited. Rantaro was grinning alongside him, probably infected by Kokichi’s childlike optimism. Rantaro hadn’t lied though, the two were completely alone. 

“And this is where we’ll be working… my room.” Rantaro opened the door to his room, and it was almost as he expected, with a few things that stood out to him. First being his huge bed! His bed was at least a queen, which amazed the boy who used to sleep on the floor because he was too poor for a bed. Second, being some sheet music did Rantaro play an instrument. Glancing around the room, he saw an electric piano, which answered Kokichi’s previous question. Skipping up to the piano, he ran his fingers over the keys, before looking at Rantaro with a grin. 

“I never knew you played piano… you should try to give Kaede a run for her money.” Kokichi grinned, which caused Rantaro to sheepishly laugh. The green-haired male sat on his bed, opening his bag to take out all his English notes. 

“Yeah well, I didn’t know I played piano either. Guess they wiped that from my memory for the killing game.” He was trying to joke, but he couldn’t even muster up any more laughter. He just looked down at his notes. He couldn’t imagine how Rantaro felt, after all, nothing from Kokichi’s mind was wiped. Making his way to Rantaro’s bed, he sat beside the taller with a grin.

“I’m sure you’ll remember how to play again, and if not, you’re still hot so that’s a plus!” Kokichi put a finger to his chin, grinning slightly at the other’s smirk. Oh, so he wasn’t going to deny that he was hot. Kokichi liked a man with confidence. 

“So what’s this project on?”

“If you were actually paying attention in class instead of day-dreaming, you would know we have to write a 10-page short story for English,” Rantaro explained, taking out his English class notes. Kokichi wasn’t the best at English, it was his worst subject for sure, so hopefully, Rantaro was a bit better. He was rich after all, he could probably afford a fancy tutor or something like that. 

Kokichi and Rantaro began to bounce ideas off of each other, some good, some not so much. Kokichi’s imagination was wild, unlike Rantaro’s, who actually just wanted the 90 percent, at least. Kokichi was staring at the few words they had written out, the words being ‘in the beginning, there was…’ and that was it. What was in the beginning!? They couldn’t even decide on that. Rantaro suddenly stood, brushing the dust off his uniform. 

“I’ll be back, just getting something to help us get our creative juices flowing.” Rantaro winked before leaving the room, causing Kokichi to sit on the bed wondering. What did he mean by creative juices? What would even help them make them write better? Did he already have a secret tutor? The other was back moments later with a bottle in hand and two shot glasses. Oh… so that’s what he meant. Getting drunk equalled no filters on their ideas, and maybe that would help. Or maybe back things worse…

“Whiskey… it’s my dad’s but he won’t care. He has like a million bottles of this stuff.” Yet another rich humble brag. Kokichi used to drink alone, but it was never shots, it was just coolers. He got the weird guy by the liquor store to always buy it for him. But Kokichi was down for new things. Kokichi nodded at the other, and Rantaro proceeded to pour both of them a shot. This was it. Grabbing the glass from the other, Rantaro only smiled sweetly. 

“Is this your first time drinking?”

“Nope! I’m a rule breaker after all, of course I’ve had alcohol.” 

“Okay… it may burn a bit. Down the hatch!” Rantaro clinked his glass against Kokichi’s, and in unison, they took their shot. Rantaro was not wrong about it burning, and the taste was well, awful. But there was something alluring about it like he wanted more. Maybe it was peer pressure from Rantaro, but Kokichi wasn’t the type to bend every type of way to get Rantaro’s attention. Or maybe he would. 

A few shots in and no work had been done. Rantaro had 5 shots, Kokichi, on the other hand, had 4. But lord behold the tiny boy was nothing short of a lightweight! Instead of working, the two were talking about who knows what, giggling filling the room. They sounded like two 7-year-olds gossiping, but instead, they were teens getting drunk off their asses. Rantaro offered another shot, which Kokichi was glad to take. Burning sensation once more down his throat, and 5 shot Kokichi was a force to be reckoned with. After basically shouting an idea where they have a zombie, t-rex themed short story, he leaned on Rantaro, who had pulled him in a bit closer, kindly rubbing his back. His touch sent heat through his entire body, causing his hips to move slightly. What was that? Was alcohol truly lowering his inhibitions?

“I don’t think we can get any more work done now, we can work more in the morning…” Rantaro got up, stumbling slightly as he put his papers on his desk. Kokichi’s brow raised at the thought of tomorrow morning, was he staying here the night.

“Am I… Am I sleeping over here?” Kokichi slurred his words slightly, most likely because of the alcohol. Rantaro looked back at him and smiled, stumbling over to the bed once more, almost falling down onto in the process. He fell slightly onto Kokichi, which made Kokichi’s pants get a bit tighter, oh no… not now. Why did Rantaro have to be so attractive? A sudden hand brushing over his crotch caused him to blush an even darker red, biting his lower lip. Rantaro sat up, still smiling slightly, so he didn’t feel Kokichi at all, that’s good. 

“Why wouldn’t you be? After all, my parents are gone until Sunday morning…” Rantaro grinned, bigger than before. How while drunk did Rantaro look so perfect? His hair fell perfectly to frame his face, his smile was bright and adorable, his face slightly flushed, it was so cute… and very hot. Kokichi gulped at the thought, his pants getting tighter and tighter by the second. He looked at the window, anything to distract himself from Rantaro’s beautiful eyes. It was already dark, how long have they been drinking? 

Glancing back at Rantaro, he noticed how the taller was leaning in a bit closer. They were inches apart in mere seconds, bodies basically pressing. The taller moved his hand, and suddenly it brushed over Kokichi’s crotch, his hand just resting there. Kokichi blushed bright red from this contact, if he wasn’t already drunk, he would’ve been way too overwhelmed and pushed Rantaro away. But alcohol really did give him confidence and made him tell the truth. The two of them were silent for a moment, before Rantaro had a shy look across his face, but also… needing.

“I can… help you with that…” Rantaro squeezed around Kokichi’s dick through the clothes, causing Kokichi to flinch at it, his hips moving slightly in neediness. Kokichi couldn’t even speak, which was rare, but he nodded in response. What was he thinking? He wasn’t. He was too stuck in the moment, swallowed whole by lust and want. His breathing grew to be a bit heavy, but nothing out of the ordinary. 

Slowly, Rantaro leaned closer to Kokichi, until lips finally collided. What’s happening!? Rantaro was quick to wrap his arms around Kokichi, pulling him in closer and closer. The kiss was sweet at first, but it became slow, passionate. Rantaro licked the bottom of Kokichi’s lips, as if asking for more, but Kokichi wouldn’t budge that easily. Smirking into the kiss, the smaller felt quite proud, until a sharp grab on his ass made him gasp, giving the other enough opening to stick his tongue in Kokichi’s mouth. This started their tongues to start dancing around each other, lapping over one another, a small whimper coming from the smaller of the two. He’s never made that noise before… he was so needy. The taller pulled away with a smirk, licking his lips while staring at Kokichi directly in the eyes. Something was different about Rantaro, he was like an animal hunting his prey, it felt a bit… weird. 

“You’re so cute when you’re desperate like this, Kokichi…” His voice was an octave lower than normal, it sent shivers down his spine. As weird as this felt, he had to admit he was beyond turned on, basically begging to have his pants taken off. Rantaro’s vibe seemed different, maybe he just finally noticed. Rantaro seemed suspicious, but he couldn’t put his finger on it. But he felt these animalistic eyes on him before, ever since he left the game actually. 

Rantaro began to unbutton Kokichi’s uniform, causing the smaller to shiver at the cold air brushing against his skin. Rantaro began to kiss down Kokichi’s body, leaving small marks, until he began to kiss at Kokichi’s neck. He was being so gentle, but a sudden bite and sucking at the smaller’s neck caused him to let out a whine in desperation. Breathing heavily, the smell of Rantaro’s shampoo wafted into his nose, it smelt pretty darn good!

When Rantaro pulled away, their eyes met once more. Kokichi had an embarrassed, sloppy… needy look on his face, which caused Rantaro to grin even more. Rantaro’s hand ghosted over Kokichi’s bare abdomen, before reaching his belt buckle. Slowly undoing it with one hand, Rantaro gave Kokichi a lustful look. Right before Rantaro was about to take off Kokichi’s pants, he could swear he heard a sudden footstep creaking through the house. 

“W-What was that?”

“Don’t worry about it Kokichi… just the wind.” Rantaro assured, taking off his pants quickly. Kokichi shivered, but Rantaro’s warm hands on his thighs really warmed him up. Before Kokichi could speak, Rantaro spread Kokichi’s legs apart, a bit roughly, causing him to gasp at the sudden action. Underwear being pulled down revealed Kokichi’s hard member, average in size. Rantaro didn’t hesitate to lean up, sticking his fingers into Kokichi’s mouth, purple eyes widening at this. Kokichi instinctively licking them, his tongue lapping over his two fingers. It was like… maybe he used to do this before the killing game? 

The other’s hand came out of his mouth, and suddenly, the green-haired male wrapped his hand around Kokichi’s dick, starting to move up and down. A sudden burst of adrenaline shot through his body, his back arching at the pleasure. Rantaro did not start off slow, he went in roughly, causing Kokichi to loudly moan at this pleasure. It was so unknown to him, yet a tinge of familiarity came with it. Kokichi covered his mouth to muffle his moans, even though no one else was in the house. 

What he felt next caused him to close his eyes from pleasure, a warm mouth against his dick. He felt Rantaro’s nose against his own abdomen, so he was able to take it in all at once? Rantaro must have practiced. Kokichi glanced down slightly, only to see Rantaro looking right up at him, a sweet look across his face. God, how can someone be adorable and sexy? Without warning, Rantaro began to bob his head up and down, licking Kokichi’s dick. For this, he started off slow, but he was quick to pick up the pace at how cute Kokichi looked. Biting down on his lower lip, Kokichi’s back arched more at the pleasure, eyes squeezing shut once more. 

“R-Rantaro… if you keep doing that… I’ll-” before he could finish his sentence, another moan escaped his lips, before suddenly he had finished in Rantaro’s mouth. He felt a little guilty, not giving any full warning before cumming into the other’s mouth, but Rantaro certainly didn’t mind. Pulling his mouth off of Kokichi’s dick, Rantaro beamed up at him, lust still quite apparent on his features. Swallowing any remaining cum in his mouth, a bit dripped out of his mouth, and god that was hot. Kokichi could feel himself getting turned on all over again. Rantaro laughed slightly, before leaning up to be eye to eye with Kokichi. 

“You taste… really good…” Rantaro complimented, before pressing a sloppy kiss on Kokichi’s, which he happily kissed back. Rantaro tilted his head slightly before he quickly took off his own uniform, followed by his pants and underwear. 

“But you see Kokichi… you got me all riled up… and now I need your help dealing with it.” Rantaro had whispered, soft and sweet, yet underlying tones of need and lust lacing each word. Kokichi nodded once more, his breath picking up the pace. Rantaro smiled kindly at Kokichi’s want and need, only to pick up the smaller, and flip him upside down. Now ass up, as if presenting himself to Rantaro, while his forearms held him up slightly. Feeling the other’s dick pressed against his entrance, Kokichi bit his lips in anticipation. Kokichi knew this was going to hurt, it was his first time after all, or at least he thinks it was. 

Without warning, Rantaro suddenly pushed himself into Kokichi, causing Kokichi’s back to arch as he moaned loudly in pleasure. His eyes rolled back slightly, his breathing picking up the pace at the overwhelming amounts of pleasure. But it didn’t hurt as much as he thought it would, maybe he had done this before? What did past Kokichi get up too?

“Rantaro… p-please start moving.” Kokichi was begging at this point, his complete demeanour shifting. If he was with Shuichi, Kokichi was sure he’d be the one in charge, but with Rantaro it was different. Wait, why was he even thinking about Shuichi while he was having sex with Rantaro. Why was he thinking of the detective’s perfect smile, his hot body, his probably hidden lust and kinkiness… a sudden thrust into him brought him back to reality. Rantaro began to thrust into Kokichi, slow and deep. He pulled himself out, only to slam into the smaller harder and harder. Each time he felt electricity run through his veins, back arching. His arms had given out, his face buried in a pillow. Moaning into the pillow, Kokichi begged for more, begging to be used. He was never like this, he was never so submissive. But it was like Rantaro had this certain hold on him. 

“Kokichi… you’re so tight… I’m going to cum…” 

“Good… cum in me, Rantaro.” His voice was still slurred from the alcohol, realizing that part of this was only happening because they both go drunk. Or was that Rantaro’s master plan all along? Rantaro was much smarter than he let on, and this could all be proof. The other began to thrust faster and faster until suddenly he felt filled up with something other than Rantaro’s dick. It was wet… warm. It felt a bit gross, but the pleasure was still worth it. 

Rantaro pulled out of him, breathing heavily, almost out of breath. Rantaro was so sweet though, he even grabbed tissues to help clean Kokichi up. After the two got cleaned up, they were all out of energy for anything else. Rantaro laid right beside Kokichi, putting the leader’s head into his chest, Rantaro holding him to keep him safe. Out of everything that happened during sex, this was by far the best part. Feeling loved, not just used for sex. But this caused Kokichi’s heart to hurt a bit, he felt weird. Pulling away from the other’s hug, Kokichi sat up. 

“After tonight… can we pretend this never happened? It’s too confusing…” Kokichi admitted, looking at Rantaro who was almost half asleep. Rantaro simply nodded, Kokichi laying beside him once more. Putting his head against the other’s warm chest, he felt at ease. 

“Don’t worry Kokichi, tomorrow… we can pretend nothing happened. We can go back to being friends.” Rantaro kissed Kokichi’s forehead, which made him feel needed, if only for a moment, up until they both fell asleep in each other’s arms. This felt so… warm.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hehe nice. they fucked uwu


	9. Not For Your Eyes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> BTW IM LAUGHINGG BC I GOT A FEW COMMENTS ON THE LAST CHAPTER BEING LIKE "WHAT IS SHUICHI WAS THERE" AND YALL DON'T EVEN KNOW. THIS IS SHUICHI POV FINALLY AND GEE WIZ IT'S A LOT. time to see into the mind of Shuichi saihara.

He felt different ever since those pods opened and the killing game was over. He placed his different attitude on beating the killing game, coming out free, even after all that work. But a weekend later and nothing has changed, actually, he had gotten much worse. He had one thing, well person, on his mind. Kokichi Ouma. His theory about personalities reverting back to old ones was scary, especially since he has seen first hand how he used to act. But hell, he couldn’t deny his human nature. He even gave into wearing his hat again, some things never change. 

But he was changing, and he felt it. He wanted to only be around Kokichi, he felt incomplete otherwise. This wasn’t love though, at least, he didn’t think it was. No, it felt so much stronger than love! It felt so much better too. Even the thought of Kokichi made him want to drool, his senses being filled with only want and craving. He was obsessed with Kokichi, it didn’t take long to realize. He wanted to text Kokichi all the time, he wanted to be the only one Kokichi looked at. He must have him. 

But he realized that the smaller was changing as well, he was much more cautious now, held his tongue, and his aura just screamed ‘I’m anxious someone protect me!’.  _ Don’t worry Kokichi, I’ll protect you.  _ But the other seemed to try to hide this change, where everyone else hadn’t even noticed. Kokichi had stopped in the middle of his tracks one time on the way home, frozen out of fear. Did Shuichi scare him? No… it’s something else. 

“Kokichi!” Shuichi had to yell his name to even get his attention, which caused the smaller of the two to shake his head in confusion. Did he not even realize that he stopped in his tracks? But when Kokichi opened up, told him about his family, or lack thereof, Shuichi had decided on one thing. Kokichi needed protection, he needed Shuichi just as much as Shuichi needed him. Kokichi was basically screaming for Shuichi’s help, he could even sense it from a mile away. Some may say Shuichi is crazy if he said this out loud, but truly, he just liked Kokichi so much that no one else was allowed to even get close to him. 

He bid Kokichi a farewell, and right when the smaller was out of view, he let blush appear on his face, his mouth drooling as he leaned against a wall. Touching his shoulder where Kokichi had nudged him, his breathing began to pick up the pace, heavy. 

“Kokichi touched me… so cute….” Shuichi had muttered on his way home, looking down at his shaking hand at the same time. He couldn’t get the supreme leader off his mind, maybe he was obsessed with him, but it may be because he’s a detective, he wants to find out everyone’s secrets. And Kokichi had a ton of them, so many secrets were going to be laid out just for his eyes to see. It was like Kokichi was going to be laid out in front of him, naked and bare. Just the thought was exhilarating! 

He decided when he got home that every day he would walk to school with Kokichi, who cares if he has to get up earlier to get ready? Anything for Kokichi… Walking into his room, he sat on his bed, his mind trailing off from the supreme leader to think about a more pressing issue. Personalities were changing, which meant Kaede was going to go back to being a ruthless, vigilante. And it meant Kokichi was going to be different… 

He went to bed that night thinking about only Kokichi. 

The next day he showed up at the leader's door bright and early, ready to surprise the smaller with his presence. His mentality was that if he could get closer to Kokichi, Kokichi would only want to be with him, look at him, smile with him. And that’s all the detective needed for an incentive to knock on the door. After a bit of friendly banter back and forth, Shuichi calmly sat on the other’s small couch, but in his mind, he was freaking out. He was in Kokichi’s house, everything smelt like him, and he was just so amazing. Biting his lip, he tried to keep his cool, looking down at the floor with heavy breathing. But he couldn’t stop himself.

Getting up quickly as he heard the shower running, he ran into Kokichi’s room, where his eyes darted around for the dresser. Once he found it, he opened it to find one of Kokichi’s shirts, a little worn out but it still smelt like him, which was all he needed. With the shirt in hand, he ran back to his school bag, shoving it in right on time. Not even seconds later, Kokichi came out of the shower, and it was like Shuichi wasn’t even there, up until their eyes locked. 

This time, he couldn’t fight the blush that was climbing up to his cheeks. Kokichi Ouma was naked, almost bare for his eyes to see, just like he wanted. Sadly, the towel was there… wait no! Don’t think like that. Lust filled his eyes for a moment, needing to touch Kokichi’s wet skin… but he resisted. Covering his eyes to seem polite, he yelped out a response to Kokichi, blush on his whole face at this point. 

“I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to look!” He yelped, looking away from Kokichi. His heart was beating so fast, Kokichi was so cute. He couldn’t help but get embarrassed, get… needy. 

“Shuichi I know you were trying to look, it’s okay! If you want… I can put on a show for you…” With that whispered in his ear, his face got redder than ever before, screeching Kokichi’s name before the leader ran off to his bedroom. Taking in a few deep breaths, he tried to keep himself calm. But something screamed in his mind that the leader had to be his, no matter what he did. 

Soon enough they were out the door, and a question lingered in his mind, and who better to ask than Kokichi? He used to think Kaede was his closest friend, but maybe Shuichi wanted more of a mysterious friend, one with layers. 

“Do you think there’s going to be another Killing Game?” Excitement filled his features for just a second. He wasn’t sure why, and he hated himself for even thinking about it, but the idea of seeing people suffer, screaming for their lives while all bloody, made him feel more than exhilarated. What did Kokichi’s blood look like…?

“Probably. I assume so… I mean, if there have been 53 killing games, what’s stopping a 54th from happening?” Kokichi replied, and his face lit up for a second, before going back to his solemn look. He wouldn’t want his one and only to get suspicious, not at all. He had to keep acting like himself, or at least the self that Kokichi knew. He had to hide his want, his need, his obsession. 

After Maki apologized, and Kokichi reluctantly accepted, Shuichi felt a weight lifted off his shoulders. If Maki and Kokichi could be friends, then anything was possible. But his positive attitude slowly turned into a more sour mood when class ended, and Shuichi was usurped time with Kokichi by that green-haired idiot. No, don’t think like that. Rantaro is your friend! They were going to eat lunch together, that’s it, nothing more. So stop worrying!

But at lunch, they didn’t even try to hide how close they were. Rantaro was practically gloating about having Kokichi laying on his shoulder, complimenting him, pretending to love him. He didn’t love him as Shuichi did. Rantaro even had the nerve to take a picture of Kokichi without him realizing, how suspicious one person can get? No one knew much about Rantaro, what if he was a murderer? Not just in a killing game murderer either, what if he was actually a serial killer. Shuichi had to save him, right now, SAVE HIM! 

But Shuichi didn’t budge, after all, it would be beyond suspicious to see Shuichi pop out from behind a tree he had been spying on them with. Instead, he just watched as Rantaro continued to be nothing but a bad influence on Kokichi, it was sickening to watch. Shuichi vowed to protect Kokichi from any threat or any form of danger. Rantaro was dangerous, Shuichi just knew he was! He didn’t need proof, Rantaro’s sketchy vibe was all he needed for proof. 

Shuichi was going to prove Rantaro was nothing but dangerous, no matter what he had to do.

Following the two through the mall, it sickened him to see them all chummy, like they were a couple. Shuichi had to make sure to be careful while following them, after all, he stood out quite a bit being the protagonist of Danganronpa. He was envious of everyone who got to do the killing in the game though, their blood splattering… no! Those were his friends that were killed, he can’t think about things like that. Watching as they went into many different stores, Shuichi just grimaced at the thought of Rantaro getting to spend so much time with Kokichi. Store after store, Shuichi followed with no rest, knowing that Rantaro would slip up. And right on cue, the green-haired male slips up, doing something quite suspicious. While Kokichi was in the fitting room, Rantaro slightly knelt down with his phone, being able to get an angle on Kokichi while naked. Then, he took a picture, and Shuichi’s eyes widened. Oh, so Rantaro is that kind of pervert. 

After following them around for a bit longer, Kokichi was dropped off at home, and Shuichi was faced with a decision. Follow Rantaro home, or visit Kokichi… he decided on the latter. After a few minutes, he rapidly ran up the stairs. Knocking on the door frantically, he had to act as if he was extremely worried, luckily he was good at lying too. 

“Kokichi! Where were you? I was so worried. When you went with Rantaro for lunch I had a bad feeling, then you don’t show up to class. And you didn’t answer any of my texts either!” Shuichi lunged forward, grabbing the other’s hands in the process. There was a faked, sad look across his face, worry coming from his body. 

“Shuichi, calm down! Don’t worry. Rantaro and I just went to the mall to buy myself some new clothes, there’s really nothing to worry about.”

_ Yeah, I know…  _

As the other pulled his hands away, Shuichi sighed. He liked how cold his hands were compared to his own, he wanted to hug Kokichi and warm him up… and never let go. Putting on a smile once more, he put a hand on Kokichi’s shoulder, any touch was good for Shuichi. 

“S-Sorry for just coming here unannounced. I was just panicking, I’m glad to see you’re okay.” Shuichi stammered, he did feel a bit bad just springing up out of nowhere, but he wanted to talk to Kokichi more, and this was the only way he could. He watched as the other took a bite out of his granola bar, a sigh escaping the taller’s lips. 

“Please don’t tell me that’s your dinner.” 

“Ding ding ding! You guessed it, mister detective.” Shuichi ignored the wink, or at least tried too, by putting on a fake expression of disapproval. Crossing his arms, cocking a brow, biting his lower lip in the process. 

“No. It’s not. I won’t allow it. I have your homework for you anyways, how about we do it together and we can order dinner. It’ll be good to help you catch up on what you’ve missed.”

“If you want to spend time with me! Go right ahead!” Kokichi laughed, before letting the taller in. Shuichi hadn’t been here many times before, but he already loved spending time with Kokichi in his apartment. Close quarters, together, no one bothering them. He felt a bit of drool come up from his mouth, but he was quick to wipe it away and to make sure there was no blush scattered on his cheeks. 

“Why do you suddenly care so much about me?” 

_ Oh right… _ Kokichi believed that in the killing game Shuichi didn’t care about him, and Shuichi didn’t argue against that at all. But now, given a second chance. He just wanted to get to know Kokichi, unravel his mysteries, touch his skin…

“I realized that… In the game, I didn’t treat you fairly. I let Kaito’s and Maki’s opinions on you dictate my own, and… that’s not fair. Plus, you’re a mystery. And it’s a detective’s job to unravel mysteries.” He wasn’t lying, he knew that Kaito really controlled how Shuichi thought about things in the killing game, but he will no longer let that. He wanted Kokichi so much more than Kaito anyways. 

“I just have to put away these clothes, then we can order some food.” Shuichi then remembered that he had one of Kokichi’s shirts in his bag, he had to make sure to hide that. 

After a bit more banter, and arguing over what to order for dinner, they were finally eating and doing their homework. Kokichi sat across from him, which made him a bit sad. He wanted to be shoulder to shoulder with Kokichi, feel his breath on him. The idea caused him to lose focus, and he could barely focus on the work he was doing. And the leader seemed to realize this, laughing at his misfortune. 

“Don’t laugh at me! I’m not as smart as you… instead, why don’t you try to help me?”

As the leader helped him, all he could focus on was on Kokichi. Touching his chest, getting so close, feeling his breath as he explained the solution. This was so… amazing. He could only mutter a thank you after, still caught up in how good it felt to have Kokichi so close. 

As the other made his way to the couch, a brow raised, why was Kokichi suddenly getting so close? Looking up, he had his head resting on the couch, his hat falling off slightly. When the other put on his hat, a bright red blush spread across his cheeks. The other in his hat was so cute, Kokichi was adorable. 

“What’re you doing up there?” 

“It’s more comfortable on the couch, you should join me.”

Shuichi sighed, before pushing himself up to be next to Kokichi on the couch. It was stuffy, barely enough room for two people. Shuichi loved it. He could feel his breath, having Kokichi’s body pressed against his own, it was so nice. But that was the kicker, suddenly, Kokichi was sitting on his lap, causing him to blush bright red. 

“H-Hey, K-Kokichi! What are you doing!?” He was frantic, but he loved this so much. He felt his pants get a bit tighter from the contact, he was praying the other didn’t feel it. At the other explanation of why they’re so close, Shuichi just muttered a response. Watching the T.V in silence, well he didn’t really watch the T.V, he was staring at Kokichi the whole time. His pretty long eyelashes, his cute smile, perfect purple eyes. A yawn escaped Kokichi’s kissable lips before he knew what hit him, the smaller was fast asleep. 

Smiling softly at the other, he leaned down, kissing the other’s forehead in the process. Picking up Kokichi in a bridal style, he carried the other to his room, before softly putting him in bed. Kokichi was so peaceful when he slept, it was adorable. He decided the other having some space would be good for him, so he left him to sleep. 

Waking up the next day, he realized something. Maybe if Kokichi didn’t go to school again, he could keep tabs on him, see what he does on an average day. Grabbing his phone, he texted Kiibo, telling him to walk with Kokichi. This was his first test. Would Kokichi only go to school with Shuichi, or could just anyone get him to go to school. He hoped that it was the first option. 

Getting dressed for the day, he brushed off the dust on his clothes, before looking at a text from Kiibo. So Kokichi refused to go to school? That was a plus. That meant Shuichi wasn’t going to go to school either, he needed to make sure Kokichi stayed out of danger. Quickly running out of the house, he made his way to Kokichi’s, he needed to watch him. 

Kokichi’s day was sort of interesting, Shuichi kept a note of everything he did. Kokichi was going to walk to the grocery store, but he bumped into Kaede in the way, they went grocery shopping, then makeup shopping. Shuichi noticed how Kaede was acting different, more violent and blunt, but all he could focus on was Kokichi. Soon, Kaede was gone and Kokichi was walking towards the school. What for? Oh! Maybe he was going to see Shuichi! The thought got him excited, but he tried to calm down and follow the other.

Oh… So he went to school to walk home with Rantaro. Shuichi scowled at this, before sighing and making his way home himself, looking at his notes in the process. It outlined Kokichi’s day, the date at the top, and little notes on the sideline. The notes consisted of ‘He’s so cute when he’s curious’ and ‘eyeliner would look great on him :)’, Shuichi was obsessed. He decided to text the person in question. 

(3:44 pm) Saihara: Hey Kokichi, I was just wondering what I missed at school today?

(3:45 pm) Ouma: Where were you today? I missed your cute face~ uwu

(3:45 pm) Saihara: Don’t tease me Kokichi! I just want to know what I missed and I figured Rantaro told you while you two walked home together? 

Oh shit, he may have given away himself. Kokichi was smart, he would catch on fast. Hopefully the other didn’t care about what Shuichi had said. 

(3:46 pm) Ouma: Wow Shuichi! You’re so mean! Assuming that I didn’t go to class :( 

(3:46 pm) Saihara: Somehow I figured that you would not fall for Kiibo’s convincing

(3:47 pm) Ouma: Your assumptions were correct! Kiiboy tried his best, but he failed horribly. Fine, I guess I’ll give you some top-secret information, but this has to be just between us, okay my beloved? ;)

(3:47 pm) Saihara: I already said stop teasing me, Kokichi! 

(3:48 pm) Ouma: Fine fine. There was a partner project assigned in English, so I guess you’ll need to find a partner.

(3:49 pm) Saihara: Do you perhaps… want to be my partner?

Please say yes!

(3:50 pm) Ouma: Sorry my beloved! But Rantaro already stole me as his partner.

(3:51 pm) Saihara: Oh… ok! I’ll ask Kaede, since I know she wasn’t in class either. After all, you two were hanging out.

He didn’t care about what he said at this point, Kokichi was right, Rantaro stole him. Shuichi was going to prove Rantaro for the pervert he was, no matter what he had to do.

Friday couldn’t come fast enough, the detective coming up with a plan. He was going to break into Rantaro’s house. He knew that Rantaro’s family would be out of town, so he could sneak in with ease. School had ended about an hour ago, and Shuichi headed home to get himself prepared mentally and physically. He never broke into someone else’s house before, why is he doing this now? Would Kokichi even love him if he did this? Wait… why would he want Kokichi to love him? All he wanted was Kokichi’s eyes on him, and Kokichi to only talk to him and touch him. He wasn’t in love with him. 

Reaching Rantaro’s address, his eyes widened at the richness of the house. He knew Rantaro was quite wealthy, but this seemed like a lot. Shuichi wasn’t too sure though since he lived with his Uncle and he wasn’t too wealthy. Shaking his head, he made his way to one of the side windows. With a few tricks he learned from other criminals his uncle has dealt with, he quickly slipped into the house going undetected. He wasn’t too sure where to look for evidence, but he had to keep quiet, knowing Rantaro and Kokichi were upstairs. 

Sneaking up the stairs, he was about to start snooping around when he suddenly heard Kokichi’s voice. He was pulled to the other’s voice, walking to Rantaro’s room quietly. He peered through the crack in the door, eyes narrowing at the scene. His lips parted in surprise when he saw the two suddenly kiss, eyes widening. He could feel his heartbreaking. He stepped back slightly, which caught Kokichi’s attention. But not for long enough to stop them. Please stop. Shuichi watched in silence as the two began to kiss, then more… so much more. Shuichi felt his heart cracking and shattering, but he continued to watch. Biting his lip as the other came, he felt his own pants getting tight, probably from Kokichi’s lustful expression. 

Shuichi was spacing out until he heard what Rantaro said, thank god. 

“Don’t worry Kokichi, tomorrow… we can pretend nothing happened. We can go back to being friends.”

Shuichi sighed in relief, leaning against the wall. He thought he was in the clear when Rantaro suddenly glared at the door, and Shuichi swore their eyes met. A shiver went down his spine when Rantaro suddenly began to get dressed, shit shit shit! Shuichi looked around the room, trying to find a door, until bolting into the smallest closet he could find. Except for one thing, this room wasn’t actually a closet. Putting his hand forward, he felt another door. Of course, rich people would have a secret room. 

Opening the door, his eyes went wide at what he saw. A small room, pictures of Kokichi all over them, strings connecting them. There were so many photos, including the photo of Kokichi sleeping on his shoulder, then Kokichi in the change room half-naked. Another picture of Kokichi that caught his eye was a picture of Kokichi on Shuichi’s lap, drifting off to sleep. Was… Rantaro there when Shuichi was hanging out with Kokichi. Or… was Rantaro stalking him? Before he had time to take a picture, he felt a hand on his shoulder. 

“You see, I thought I was going crazy… but as I live and breathe, Shuichi, in my home? Watching me have sex…” Rantaro’s voice was low, causing Shuichi to stumble back in fear. Looking up at Rantaro, the other’s eyes narrowed, before he smirked. 

“I-I wasn’t here to watch you have sex. I knew you were hiding something, and I found it. You’ve been stalking Kokichi!” Shuichi snapped, hands clenching as he stared at the other. Rantaro just laughed in response, causing a brow raise from Shuichi. Why was he laughing? What was so funny?

“Don’t play dumb Shuichi, why else would you be here? You’re here to keep tabs on your beloved Kokichi. I know you’re just as bad as me, but you just can’t admit it.” Shuichi’s eyes widened at the other’s words, anger filling inside him. He wasn’t like Rantaro, not at all. He wouldn’t use Kokichi to fulfil some sexual need then throw him away, he wasn’t that awful. 

“I’m not like you! You’re… a pervert and a stalker.” Shuichi hesitated, before taking a step forward and putting a finger on Rantaro’s chest, glaring up at him. “And I will show him how awful you are.” With that, Shuichi stormed out of the weird... Kokichi chamber. Though, if Shuichi was alone… he would’ve gotten more turned on than he already was. Storming past Rantaro, he left the house through the way he came, through the window. 

“I will prove that Rantaro is the worst.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hehehehehehe shuichi ur kinda being a dick u know? cant admit ur own faults. smh.


End file.
